Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/294

LEFT JAPAN 238 JAPAN edly favorable to Russia notwithstand- ing. The success of Japan in the Russo- Japanese War made her one of the lead- ing world powers. The war, however, produced a financial stringency which led to economic disturbances for years fol- lowing. The international relations also caused difficulty and several times threat- ened a break with the United States. This was chiefly the result of the pas- sage of legislation in California and other States debarring Japanese labor- ers. In 1906 the school board of San Francisco ordered the segregation of Japanese children. The problem was temporarily solved by the arrival at a so-called gentlemen's agreement, by ^Vhich Japan agreed to restrict the im- migration of Japanese laborers to the United States. In 1905 an alliance was made with Great Britain for the purpose of preserving the peace of eastern Asia and maintaining the integrity of China, and defending the rights of both coun- tries in the region of eastern Asia and India. In 1911 this treaty was renewed for 10 years. As a result of the Russo- Japanese War, the interest of Japan was recognized as paramount in Korea, and the latter country practically became a province of Japan. In 1909 Prince Ito, the famous Japanese statesman, was as- sassinated by a Korean patriot. In the year following Korea was formally an- nexed to Japan, and was renamed Chos- en. There were during the years follow- ing almost continual political outbreaks in Korea against Japanese government. In 1913 the relations between the United States and Japan again became es- tranged as a result of the passage in California of the Alien Land Owner's Law which excluded from the right to own land all aliens who are not eligible to American citizenship. As the Japanese are prohibited from becoming natural- ized citizens, it was apparent that this legislation was aimed directly at them. The government of Japan protested vigorously. President Wilson attempted to prevent the passage of the law but was unsuccessful. The outbreak of the World War brought Japan into conflict as an ally of Great Britain. On Aug. 19, 1914, the British representative at Berlin present- ed an ultimatum commanding that all German warships should at once be withdrawn from Chinese and Japanese waters and that the entire German con- cession of Kaiochow be given up by Ger- many before Sept. 14, 1914, "with a view to the eventual restoration of the same to China." The German Government re- fused and Japan declared war on Aug. 23, 1914. Two days later diplomatic re- lations between Japan and Austria-Hun- gary were broken. The Japanese navy at once established a blockade of Tientu, the principal town in the German con- cession, and at the same time began mili- tary operations. Later in September the Japanese Expeditionary Force, as- sisted by East Indian troops, began the siege of Tsing-tau. On Nov. 7, 1914, the Germans surrendered. Japan, with equal promptness, captured some of the Far Eastern German colonies, restrict- ing her activities to the smaller German islands. These included the Marshall Island, the Ladrones, the east and west Caroline archipelago. This constituted the chief military activities of Japan during the war. Following the Russian revolution, however, Japanese troops were sent into Siberia and carried on more or less active campaigns there dur- ing 1918-19. See Russia. By the terms of the Peace Treaty, Ja- pan received all the rights formerly pos- sessed by Germany in the Shantung peninsula. This disposition of Shantung was strongly resisted by many of the representatives at the Peace Conference, but they were obliged to yield on the as- surance of Japan that it was her inten- tion to return the Shantung peninsula to China. China strongly protested against the arrangement and throughout 1920 attempted to bring the question of Shantung to an issue, but without suc- cess. Japan suspended hostilities with the so-called Soviet Republic of Siberia on July 15, 1920, and later occupied the northern half of the island of Saghalien after extending the Anglo-Japanese treaty for another year. The troops withdrawn from Siberia were sent into Korea, where all efforts to independence were suppressed with a strong hand. JAPAN, to coat wood, metal, or paper with a thick coat of hard brilliant var- nish. Japanning involves the baking of the varnished article. The Japanese employ a lacquer obtained from a tree (Rhus vernix) by making incisions in the trunk and collecting the juice; this is at first like cream, but becomes black by exposure to the air. Their process is said to be as follows: After the juice has assumed a deep black color, finely pulverized charcoal is added to it. The lacquer is applied to an article in several successive coats, each being dried in the sun before the next is put on. It soon becomes extremely hard, and is polished with a smooth stone and water until it becomes as smooth as glass. On this surface ornaments and figures are traced with a brush dipped in a varnish of