THE POET PREMIERS OF JAPAN. (To nix Esrroa oP THE
"SPECTATOR."] SIR,—I think that the following extracts from a letter I have received from a Japanese friend, now resident in this country, may have some points of interest for you :- "I have been reading," writes my friend, " New Japan: A Japanese Political Review,' and I feel awfully up-to-date. For in- stance, I know the name of the Premier of Japan. How wonder- ful. He used to study at the Sorbonne, Paris, many years ago. He was attacked by the Commons when he was Premier last time because he wrote a preface to the Socialistic writings of Zola. He surprised the people by inviting the famous actors (actors are despised in Japan) to his banqueting ball. He is a man who is extremely liberal and broad-minded. He is known as 'a premier most artistic' ; a man who is interested in art and literature. In Japan such a man is very rare. He is surrounded by men of high and lofty character. . . . In time of war we always have soldier premiers, but in time of peace we usually have poet premiers. The funniest thing of all in the new government is—no one knows what is its policy. In England when a new government is set up the policy is well known to the people. You may ask bow in the world a people permits a new government without a definite programme to be formed. It is true that his party has a majority in the House of Commons, but his party does not know the opinion of its leader, who has never declared his policy. It seems altogether absurd from the practical English political point of view. Yet, Japan is Japan, a country full of ambiguities. If the Japanese Govern- ment is ambiguous, then the Chinese is mysterious. No one knows what will happen in the Celestial Empire. Yesterday they tried to set up a republic under Federal government ; to-day they want to have many separate States; yesterday a Manna Charts was granted ; to-day the Sovereign who granted it pre- pares for flight; yesterday China was so hopeful and to-day so hopeless—what will be to-morrow ? . . . I quite agree with Mr. Markin that no foreign Power should interfere in China's busi- ness."
And here, dropping politics, my friend pays such a charming tribute to his gifted fellow-countryman that I trust I may be forgiven the indiscretion of repeating it, even should it meet that countryman's eyes :-
"I like him, for he is a humanitarian through and through. I think all his arguments spring from this source—human sym- pathy. He is, perhaps, almost too sentimental; but this is, unfor- tunately, one of the faults of our race."
Previous page
