The most interesting of the contents of the last Japan papers to hand is a long record of an interview with Count Katsura (Premier), more particularly on the subject of the Yellow Poni. Mr. William Imbrie, who secured the intorview, also obtained an assurance from Count Katsura that his views had boon correctly understood and reproduced. We condense the statement from the "Japan Daily Mail."
After a reference to the 50-yearlong friendship of America for Japan, the Premier expressed some concern on account of the half-concealed endeavours on the part of Russia to prejudice the mind of the people of America against Japan. Ho proceeded The object of the prosont war, on the part, of Japan, is the security of the empire and the permanent peace of the East, That such a war is necessary is plain, Noone can look at the map and recall the course of Russia without seeing that that course is an imminent peril to Japan; and that the peril must: be met without delay. No less clear is it that Russia is, and if allowed to be will continue to be, the groat disturber of the peace of the East; and that there can be manent peace until she is put in which she cannot break. Regarding this also there can be no delay. Therefore I say that the object of the war is the accurity of the empire and the permanent peace of the East. To this I may add that the situation is not a new one, The position of Japan is closely analogous to that of ancient Greece in her contest with Persia; a contest for the security of Greece and the permanent peace of Europe. Japan is Greece and Russia is Persia.
"But while say that the object of the war is the security of the empire and the permanent peace of the East, I say also and with equal emphasis, that the war is not a war for the supremacy of race over race or of religion over religion. With differences of race or religion it has nothing to do; and it is carried on in the interests of justice, humanity, and the commerce and civilisation of the world.
ying this I am not speaking s an vidual only; I am speaking as Prime for also; and more than that I am oxpre: sing the mind of His Majesty the Emperor. No doubt it may be said that such statements are to be regarded as diplomatic; and that diplomatic state-
"ments* have: the reputation of being scrutable. That that is true of the state—ments of some I do not deny; but it ix jabot true of the statements of all. It is not true of those of the Secretary. of State of the United States; and there is no evidence that it is true of those of the Prime Minister of Japan."
Illustrating probabilities from the actualities of the past and present, the Premier referred to the extraordinary pains taken to conduct the war in accordance with the principles of humanity and the usages of international lew. "Among the points emphasised by the Government are these: That the war is one between the State of Japan and the State of Russia; that it is not waged against individuals; that individuals of all nationalities, peacefully attending to their business, sre to suffer no molestation or annoyance whatever; and the questions of religion do not enter into the war at all. There have been a few isolated cases in which persons have been treated with rudeness; but no serious harm has boon done, and in some instances the aggrieved parties had not been quite so discreet as they might have been. So far es the conduct of the people generally is concerned, in this particular at least it will take rank with that of the people of any country in the world under similar circumstances. I do not wish to boast, but my own belief is that it would take the first prize.
The imputation is made that if Japan is successful in the present conflict, the day will come when to serve her own ends, she will not be above utilising the anti-foreign spirit that is now lurk among the masses of China. The spirit that held the Legations in Peking in peril that massacred hundreds of help-igners and Chinese Christians and that brought deep anxiety and sorrow to the whole world. I will not go into the history of the Boxer movement and the steps taken to suppress it; though if I did I could show that, for reasons that are now somewhat more evident than they then were, no other nation occupied 40 dificult " position as Japan. But no candid man can say that in all that trying time Japan was derelict in the performance of her duties; and no one has to insinuate that in the future she will be ess broad-minded, less honourable, less humane, or less the friend of the civilisation of the West, than she was when her army went to the relief of the foreigners besieged in Peking. Many think that in some respects it would be an advantage to Japan in the present war to have China for an ally. But those who are Tightly informed know that from the very outset of the war and ever since, Japan of operations and to preserve the neutral lity of Ohina. And one great reason for this has been precisely to avoid the dan-gor, with all its terrible possibilities, of fanning into a flame the anti-foreign spirit in China, When therefore Japan says the permanent peace of the East, she does not mean the East in arms against. the rightful interests of the West or the civilisation of the world."
Count Katsura dealt with the argument that Russia stands for Christianity and Jspan for Buddhism. He put it rather that Japan stood for religious freedom, and the same could hardly be said of Russia. He pointed out that there were Christian Churches in every large city and almost every town in Japan, that propaganda went on freely as in the United States and without attracting much, if any, more attention; that Christian schools of a certain grade were able to obtain alli the privileges of Government schools of the and that missionary asso-ions_were allowed to own lend, buildings, and other property, as corporate bodies. Chri were. to be found among all sections of the Japanese community and six American and British missionaries, be Japanese Christian Ministers, wore to accompany the Army in Manchuria, as spiritual advisers to the Christian soldiers.
In similar way the fiction was disposed of that there is a certain spirit of the East as opposed to a spirit of the West, that Japan can only accept certain products of the West, such as railroads, telegraphs, battleships, and quick-firm, guns, while at heart she remains Oriental; and that the adoption of these very things tends to make Japan a dangerous neighbour for the future. The Count says "Japan is an old country with a history which it. will always road with a proper pride; for the civilisation of what we now call Old Japan was one of a high order, and comprised olements which New Japan has no desire to change. For reasons, which, however, need not now give, during a long course of years Japan thought it wise to live an isolated life. Then came a period to her history, little understood by most foreignors, when great internal forces were actively at work bearing Japan on to a new ora, It was during that period that Commodore Perry came to Japan; and no doubt his coming, and the manner of it, did much to give the movement of which I speak direction; but it was not his coming that caused the movement. Then came the Restoration; and with the Restoration of the Emperor, the new era, the Era of Meiji (Enlightonmont); and with the Era of Meiji, the Grout Imperial Pledge that Japan should "sock for knowledge throughout tha whole world." Since than Japan has diligently sought Knowledge; and the knowledge that she has gained she has made her own. The old tree still stands; but the new branches have been grafted into the tree, and now belong to the tree just as truly as the old branches which romain. Nor is it true that Japan in her search for knowledge has found nothing but the railroad, the telegraph, and the battleship. What then are some of the elements of the civilisation which Japan now holds, and common with the West Proceeding to answer his own question, the Premier shows that Japan has accopted the education of the West with all her heart. Students in Japan are taught precisely the same subjects (with the m that little attention is paid to 1d Latin) as students in Europe and America. Japan has searched the whole world to got the best system of education possible. Again since the beginning of the new era, Japan has on-tirely remodelled her laws, criminal and civil, after a most painstaking study of the laws of Europe and America; she has no reason to be ashamed of her laws or the administration of them even when judged by the standards of the West, "Japan also accepts her place among the nations of the West as bound by the principles of international law both in peace and in war; though she regards a judge, sitting in the highest Court of Ar-di tration in the world, as exceeding hi duties, when he introduces into his judgment tnealled-for criticism of a nation in no way connected with the case under consideration.
"But to mention only one thing more. Perhaps there is nothing more peculiarly
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.