It is remarkable how little the spirit of Japan’s policy, which the writer has attempted to express in this sentence, is understood among the people here. A vast majority of people, not excluding recognized writers and speakers on the East, seem to ascribe to Japan certain territorial designs, particularly in Korea. It is not remembered that Japan was the first country to recognize the independence of Korea, the cause of which also cost Japan a war with China. The present war with Russia is waged largely on the same issue, for it is to Japan’s vital interest to keep Korea independent. From this it hardly follows that Japan should occupy Korea in order not to allow her to fall into the hands of another Power. If Korea is really unable to stand on her feet, the solution of the difficulty does not, in Japan’s view, consist in possessing her, but in making her independence real by developing her resources and reorganizing and strengthening her national institutions. It is in this work that Japan’s assistance was offered and accepted. It would be as difficult for any impartial student not to see the need of such assistance as to confuse it with annexation. It would, however, be entirely legitimate to regard the task as extremely difficult and dangerously prone to abuse. Further, see pp. 366 ff., below. Footnote 98: Russian exports for 1900–2 are classified as follows (1000 rubles as unit):— Food-stuffs Raw material Animals Manufactures Total 1900 381,174 269,806 17,902 19,553 688,435 1901 430,955 256,697 20,224 21,939 729,815 1902 526,189 258,267 21,558 19,263 825,277 It is seen that the exportation of food-stuffs was the largest in value and increasing, while that of manufactured articles was the smallest (2.5 per cent.) and, to say the least, stationary. Imports were as follows:— Food-stuffs Raw material Animals Manufactures Total 1900 79,844 307,402 1,136 183,682 572,064 1901 84,349 288,107 1,495 158,993 532,944 1902 81,409 295,483 1,403 148,800 527,095 The importation of manufactures decreased, but also that of raw material did not increase, while, as shown above, the exportation of manufactures was slight and stationary. Figures have been taken from the _Tsūshō Isan_ for November 25, 1903, which drew them from Russian official sources. It is interesting to note the unfavorable conditions of the foreign trade of Russia’s ally, France, in U. S. Consul Atwell’s report in the daily _Consular Reports_ for February 24, 1904 (No. 1884), who quotes from Georges Blondel. Footnote 99: See the Supplementary Note to this chapter on pages 61–64. Footnote 100: