wers'
relation towards China is such on the other hand, Japan should avail
herself in the meantime of the European War to definitely decide
upon a policy towards China, the most important move being the
transformation of the Chinese Government to be followed up by
preparing for the conclusion of the Defensive Alliance. The
precipitate action on the part of our present Cabinet in acceding to
the request of Great Britain to declare war against Germany without
having definitely settled our policy towards China has no real
connection with our future negotiations with China or affect the
political condition in the Far East. Consequently all intelligent
Japanese, of every walk of life throughout the land, are very deeply
concerned about the matter.

Our Imperial Government should now definitely change our dependent
foreign policy which is being directed by others into an independent
foreign policy which shall direct others, proclaiming the same with
solemn sincerity to the world and carrying it out with
determination. If we do so, even the gods and spirits will give way.
These are important points in our policy towards China and the
result depends on how we carry them out. Can our authorities firmly
make up their mind to solve this Chinese Question by the actual
carrying out of this fundamental principle? If they show
irresolution while we have this heaven-conferred chance and merely
depend on the good will of the other Powers, we shall eventually
have greater pressure to be brought against the Far East after the
European War is over, when the present equilibrium will be
destroyed. That day will then be too late for us to repent of our
folly. We are therefore impelled by force of circumstances to urge
our authorities to a quicker sense of the situation and to come to a
determination.

The first point which leaps out of this extraordinarily frank
disquisition is that the origin of the Twenty-one Demands is at last
disclosed. A perusal of the ten articles forming the basis of the
Defensive alliance proposed by the Black Dragon Society, allows us to
understand everything that occurred in Peking in the spring of 1915. As
far back as November, 1914, it was generally rumoured in Peking that
Japan had a surprise of an extraordinary nature in her diplomatic
archives, and that it would be merely a matter of weeks befor