FLOUTING JAPAN .
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR, —Your correspondent, Mr. Nonweiler, unfortunately is only quoting what his friend in Japan chooses to tell him ; I spent two to three years in Chinese and Japanese waters aboard two gunboats—in pre-War days, and I might tell your correspondent that the original _provocation goes back to 1894 when the first Chinese-Japanese conflict started.
My friend, Admiral Sah, of the Imperial Chinese Navy, who was present in Chefoo in 1904, when the Japanese invaded this neutral port and sank the Russian warship Ritshelney ' (already disarmed) and bombarded a Chinese cruiser, told me he had certain information that it was a Japanese scheme to cause complications with China, and that when he removed his ships the next day; Japanese torpedo craft were following him all night, trying to get him to force an action which he skilfully avoided.
Maritime regulations in Japan are designed to hinder Chinese coasting trade as much as possible. Up the Yangtze Xiang the Japanese had when I was out there in 1910 a river line of steamers running to Hankow and Ichang—but when Chinese interests wanted to finance a company for trading in the Inland Sea the Japanese Diet in Tokio squashed the suggestion, their motto being : " Japan for the Japanese solely, and as much of defenceless Asia as we can grab also." Lord Lytton's report is quite correct, Japan is rightly at fault.
The Gail:o Jiho—a Tokio paper—(" Diplomatic Review ") for years has published articles by Government officials urging a campaign in China as a prelude to a larger one to acquire all Asia by and by. Last year's articles included several in which sentences like this were printed—" A united China must not be allowed ; to foment chaos and revolution is the best policy as it enables our aims to extend their natural functions "—and again, " China torn by internecine trouble is best for us." Mr. Nonweiler's friend has perhaps forgotten recently a Japanese Premier was murdered by his countrymen solely because he advocated Peace in China areas.
In Manchukuo, Japanese officials are cancelling scholastic grants, and fees and passage home of Chinese graduates who came to U.K. for study two, three and four years ago— because the students lived in Jehol and Manchuria towns andiefused (rightly) to change their nationality. Their parents in scores of cases have fled to China Proper as beggars or been thrown into prison and murdered on trumped-up charges of espionage. Last Sunday week a Chinese graduate from Manchuria came to my house, and I heard about his distressing circumstances—the Consul-General of China in London could no doubt give you names and, addresses of others, but this is a recent case, and may provide Mr. Non-, weiler with .food for thought on the excellent way Manchukuo- is being managed and efforts :for real 'peace started by the;
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