Page:Political Condition of Japan.djvu/16

 Chinese sailors, but even then the policemen could not arrest the sailors without the aid of the Japanese Zinrikisha men.

As to the newspapers, the regulations are still more strict and applied without any regard to circumstances. Certain officials are appointed in each department to read all the newspapers published in Japan. Whenever they find anything about the government, they try to find some reason to bring criminal action against the paper. They look through all the accounts, leading articles, and even advertisements. The editors incur severe penalties even if they allude to criticisms of the Japanese government or of one of its departments. One of the leading papers in Tokio, of which I was the editor at the time, published a letter of complaint to the effect that many letters were lost, or miscarried by the post-office and did not arrive at their destination. This was perfectly true. But the newspaper was suspended for one week and the writer of the letter was punished with fine and imprisonment with hard labor. It does not matter to the Japanese government whether anything said in the Japanese newspapers is true or false. If it is said in the way of criticism, it gives the ground for criminal action. Another newspaper was suspended for several weeks, and the editor punished with fine and imprisonment with hard labor, because of an advertisement. Some students asked the paper to insert an advertisement to the effect that a society of political reformers was to meet on a certain day. This was considered by the Japanese government to mean the meeting of rebels, and the issue of the newspaper was suspended. The present Cabinet uses two methods of suppressing the newspapers, one direct and the other indirect. The direct way of suppressing them is to issue a warrant against the editor and proprietor, and to arrest them, at the same time confiscating the printing machinery. The indirect way is to suspend the issue of the paper, frequently for a week or two at a time, and send the editor and proprietor into a prison from one to three years. By this means, the proprietor is financially ruined and the newspaper finally brought to an end. This indirect mode is more frequently resorted to, and appears to be looked upon with greater favor in the Japanese