!on was commenced on Oct. 31, the Japanese blockading fleet off the harbour assisting by a continuous bombardment. On the morning of Nov. 7, white flags were descried on the forts of Moltke, Bismarck and Iltis, to the pleasant surprise of the at- tacking army, which had expected a protracted siege. After the fall of the stronghold, it was ascertained that all enemy ships, including the Austrian cruiser " Kaiserin Elisabeth," had been sunk in the port of Tsingtao. The Japanese army lost, during the campaign, 1,968 killed or wounded, and the Japanese navy a cruiser, a destroyer and a torpedo boat. The port of Kiaochow was reopened for trade by the Japanese on Dec. 28 1914.
The Japanese Navy in the War. Although Tsingtao was thus early captured, there still remained the important task of locat- ing and disposing of Adml. von Spec's squadron, consisting of the ".Scharnhorst," the " Gncisenau," the " Nurnberg," the " Leipzig," and the " Dresden," which were seriously menacing the Allied commerce in the South Seas. It had further been reported that several German warships were at large in the Pacific Ocean. 'As early as Aug. 26, the battle cruiser " Ibuki " and the cruiser " Chikuma," and shortly afterwards six more Japanese cruisers, were ordered to join the British China Squad- ron under the command of Adml. Jerram. There were further dispatched a squadron of eight cruisers to the China and the East Seas and two squadrons one comprising two battle cruisers, two cruisers, and a division of torpedo destroyers and the other one battleship and two cruisers to the South Pacific Ocean. The cruiser " Idzumo," which happened to be in Mexican waters, as well as the " Asama " and the " Hizen," were entrusted with the patrol of the western coast of America, in cooperation with the Canadian " Rainbow " and the British cruiser " Newcastle."
In the middle of Sept., a great sensation was aroused by the dramatic appearance in the Bay of Bengal of the German raider " Emden," which had effected her egress from Tsingtao before the blockade was instituted by the Japanese navy. Several Brit- ish merchantmen fell victims to her ruthless attack in appallingly swift succession, and it was only after two months' strenuous chase by the British and the Japanese squadrons that the " Em- den " was sunk by the Australian cruiser " Sydney " near the island of Cocos. In the meantime, Australian and New Zealand troops were being hurried to various theatres of war in Europe, and Japanese warships assisted in the convoy of the transports across the Indian Ocean. At one time, whilst the " Emden " was still working havoc in Indian waters, the " Ibuki " was obliged to convoy no fewer than 38 troopships by herself. Apart from the anxious, as well as hazardous task of convoy, Japanese war- ships were, in Feb. 1915, called upon to hurry to Singapore and land troops thereto assist the British forces, side by 'side with French and Russian marines, in suppressing a mutiny of Indian soldiers who had come under German influence. In 1917, and after, the Japanese navy undertook the guardianship of the safety of the Indian Ocean as far as the Cape of Good Hope. Von Spee's squadron, as a result of the concerted operation of the British and the Japanese navies, was chased in the direction of Cape Horn towards the end of 1914, and on Dec. 8 was encountered by Adml. Sturdee's squadron off the Falkland Is. and was completely annihi- lated, with the exception of the " Dresden," which, however, was also sunk by the British off Chile three months later. Meanwhile the German gunboat " Geier " was disarmed and interned at Honolulu, and thus the Pacific Ocean was cleared of the enemy, greatly to the relief of Allied commerce.
The next, and not the least important, contribution of the Japanese navy toward the successful conduct of the war, was the sending of the cruiser " Akashi " and three destroyer divisions under the command of Rear-Adml. Sato to the Mediterranean. The German submarine warfare was about that time beginning to be carried on in a ruthless manner, and the British navy had been earnestly requesting Japanese help. Whilst the British, French and Italian forces were engaged in blockading the Adri- atic Sea and the Dardanelles, Adml. Sato's squadron assumed the all-important duties of convoying Allied vessels to and fro between ports in the Mediterranean. The Japanese destroyers successfully escorted 21 British warships, as well as 623 British,
100 French, 18 Italian and 26 other troopships or merchantmen, totalling 788 ships, and they cruised altogether 220,000 miles.
Japan's " Twenty-one Demands " upon China. Friction be- tween neighbours is deplorable, though far too common, but it is altogether exasperating when friction is caused by the neglect of order in the house of a neighbour. No one more regretted the continued internal troubles and disorder in China, which had been divided into two camps since the Republic was proclaimed, than Japan herself, whose national destiny is so intimately en- twined with that of China. The Tokyo Cabinet became impa- tient toward the end of 1914, of the general trend of the Chinese- Japanese relations which, largely owing to China's procrasti- nating and wayward diplomacy, had been marked by constant and cumulative misunderstandings and irritations. In the judg- ment of the Okuma Cabinet the only effective move was an at- tempt to cleanse the Augean stable, and on Jan. 18 1915, with a view to liquidating all outstanding problems between Japan and China, the " twenty-one demands " were presented to President Yuan Shi-k'ai at the hands of Mr. Hioki, the Japanese minister in Peking. The demands consisted of five groups: Group I., which related to Shantung province, comprised four items; Group II., in respect of S. Manchuria and Eastern Inner Mongolia, had seven items; Group III. concerned the Hanyehping Co. and included two items; Group IV. consisted of one item relative to the territorial integrity of China. The V. Group was not pre- sented as " demands " but as " wishes," consisting of seven items, covering the employment of Japanese advisers; land ownership by Japanese hospitals, temples and schools; the purchase of muni- tions of war from Japan; the right to construct a line connecting Wuchang with the Kiukang-Nanchang railway as well as the Nanchang-Hangchow and the Nanchang-Chaochow lines; the priority of Japanese capital regarding railways, mines and har- bour works in Fukien province; and Japanese missionary propa- ganda. The too ambitious attempt of the Tokyo Cabinet evoked adverse criticisms from various quarters. But that was more on account of the manner in which the demands were made to China. It was undoubtedly unfortunate that, whatever cogent reasons there might have been, the " wishes " were not placed on the table from the outset as well as the " demands." As to their intrinsic merit, the London Times (Feb. 13 1915) observed: " Even in the Peking version . . . these terms do not look harsh or unreasonable in principle. . . . They do not in any wise threaten the integrity of China, nor do they appear to violate the doctrines of the equality of opportunity and of the open door as hitherto accepted by other Powers. " Even granting that some of the proposals were unwisely conceived, the general belief that Japan purposed at that time to establish a veiled protectorate over China was merely the result of active and extensive hostile propaganda; no insinuation could be more malicious and misguided. For Japan it was a matter of superla- tive interest and importance that her neighbours should attain a good Government, a prosperous industry and a flourishing trade; it was her greatest fear that China should become the Turkey of the extreme Orient. Chagrined by the endless tergi- versation of the Chinese Government, in entire disregard of Japan's friendly and conciliatory intentions, which were amply shown during the four months' negotiations at Peking, the Japanese Government pressed the Peking Government, on May 7 1918, to express their definite answer within a time limit. In the result the Chinese President, Yuan Shi-k'ai, acceded to the Japanese proposals; and on the 25th of the same month, un- der the signature of Mr. Hioki and Lu Cheng-Hsieng, the Chi- nese Minister for Foreign Affairs, two treaties were concluded one respecting the province of Shantung, and the other regard- ing S. Manchuria and Eastern Inner Mongolia and 13 notes were exchanged. The treaty respecting the province of Shan- tung stipulated that China should recognize all arrangements to be made between Japan and Germany as to the German rights in that province; that, for the construction in future of a railway connecting Chefoo or Lungkow with the Kiaochow-Tsinan rail- way, Japanese capitalists should first be approached; that China should of her own accord early open suitable cities and towns for
