“No foreign association of persons or trust property is accorded the same rights and privileges as are enjoyed by similar Japanese corporations; such a foreign corporation has no standing whatsoever in the Japanese courts, and the only way in which it could obtain protection would be to appear in the individual names of its members, just as used once to be the case in partnership actions. Purely technical evidence must be procured and filed before any legal proceeding can be initiated, and the best interests of the corporation might easily be jeopardized. Some foreign religious societies have sought to get themselves incorporated as Japanese corporations, but failed. Japan has no State religion, and she is absolutely impartial in religious matters. Any religious body so applying must be and show itself to be a purely Japanese institution, free from all control of any sort from its corresponding religious bodies in foreign countries. Any legal connection whatever between the home body and Japanese organization is a bar to such purpose.[118] [Illustration: STATESMEN OF NEW JAPAN ŌKUBO, SAIGŌ, KIDO, AND PRINCE IWAKURA] “A Japanese corporation has almost as large privileges as a Japanese subject. It can own land and exercise other rights not accorded to individual foreigners. A corporation so organized may contain in its ranks foreign members, but it must be of such a nature as not to be under any danger of control of any kind from outside. Even after incorporation, the charter will be forfeited should the policy of the Japanese Government be at any time prejudiced by the conduct of a corporation so sanctioned. “If foreigners wish to do business in combination with the Japanese, the best way would be to form a _Gōshi Kaisha_ or limited partnership, they themselves carrying unlimited liability. To control a _Kabushiki Kaisha_, or limited company, they should own more than half the amount of capital, either by holding themselves or through their own nominees, and shares should be tied up so as not to allow their transfer without the consent of the board of directors. The advantage of any business being organized as a Japanese corporation consists, as the law now stands, in owning land and having the full rights of Japanese subjects.” It should be added here that many prominent Japanese continue to urge that foreigners be allowed to own land, possibly under certain restrictions; and that such a privilege is quite likely to be granted before very long. BIBLIOGRAPHY.