ABSTRACT
Little remained after the appointment of the Yamamoto Cabinet but to rush the budget through the Diet, and it got through by the smallest possible majority. With the close of the session immediately thereafter, a period of peace for the administration succeeded. Viscount Goto did some stumping in favour of the Katsura party, but the Prince himself soon fell into the mortal illness which was to dissipate the misgivings aroused by his ambitions, and foreign diversions arose such as are always rather a relief to statesmen who are embarrassed by domestic criticism and discontent. The anti-Japanese campaign
in California took shape on a large scale, though it was to be ten years before its definite culmination; and, nearer home, the breach between Canton and the north brought about a civil war in China. It was no sudden out-break, but was preceded by months of intrigue. A syndicate of bankers of six Powers joined together to monopolise the lending of money to China-a plan from which the United States withdrew, President Wilson expressing a distaste for advancing money which the lenders would expect to be collected by diplomatic pressure and even by force of arms if the instalments were not forthcoming. The other five advanced a large sum to President Yuan Shih-kai, nominally for the reorganisation of the Government, though actually it was used for the purposes of prosecuting the war. In March the Southern leader, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, came to Japan and made speeches on the beauties of peace, but as soon as he returned there were many complaints of Japanese participating in Chinese revolutionary movements, and of Japanese officers being among the Southern troops. Some of the loudest complaints were made against Mr. Inukai, the leader of the Kokuminto (the Nationalist party), but he was one of the most honest of Japanese politicians, and the charge was not taken seriously in his case, though it was true that China was overrun with Japanese adventurers, ready for any profitable enterprise, and few gangs of bandits were without a Japanese chief or so, while Japanese military science was at the disposal of those who cared to pay for instruction and leadership.
