MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON
Japan: A Land of Dynamic Regeneration Following A World War
(Editor's Note: Jpnei
dynamism in coming back
irom shattering defeat in
World War II hai asioniih
d tha world. This diipatch,
by a Uniiad Prata Inierna
iional liaiiar who lives and
works lhara, gives a fasci
nating iniighi into how it
hat baan accomplished.)
Cascade Shopping Center Scheduled to
Open at White City Early This Summer
By ARTHUR HIGBEE
Tokyo-UPD-Twice in little
more than a century, Japan
has tried to fly in the face
of the facts toward the peril
of self-destruction and then
turned and made the facts
work for her.
SUNDAY, APRIL 14. 1963
In 1854, she tried to keep
herself sealed in a cocoon of
mcdievalliy from the rising
winds of progress, then emer.
ged to transform herself into
a world power with a single
minded speed that stuna the
imagination even today.
In 1945 Japan pursued a
losing war to the suicidal
point of arming her people
with bamboo spears to fight
off the invader. But after
atomic bombs blotted out
Hiroshima and Nagasaki she
made ungrudging peace and
set to work on an economic
regeneration that frequently
has been called miraculous.
Siss of California
Japan is the size of France
or California. Her populallon,
now stabilized by rising liv
ing slnndard9 and by birth
control and a permissive abor
tion law, is 05,300,000 - sixth
largest on earth. But her birth
rate, 16.9 per thousand, is
the seventh lowest.
Japan's four major Hands
- Honshu, Kyushu, Shlkoku
and Hokkaido - stretch in a
closely-knit arc off the cast
coast of Asia about the same
latitude as the eastern sea
board of the United States,
and with about the same vari
ations in weather that prevail
from New England to Geor
gia.
Japan is so mountainous
that less than one-fifth the
land is level enough for cul
tivation. But it ia so inten
sively' cultivated that Japan
is nearly self-sufficient in
food.
Clotttt Neighbor
Japan's closest neighbor is
not China nor even Korea but
Russia: it is only 30 miles
across the La Perousc Strait
from Hokkaido to Sakhalin
Island.
Japan Is densely populated
(252 persona per square kilo
meter) but the Netherlands
England and Belgium arc
more so. Japan has a high
suicide rate (21.3 per 100,000
population) but Hungary and
Austria have higher ones.
Hara-kari (ritual suicide by
discmbowclment) vanished
after the war.
The Japanese arc the most
racially homogeneous major
nation on earth, except for
the Ainu, white aborigines of
whom a few thousand have
survived and maintained some
of their own identity. Malay
ans, Mongols and Chinese in
the Japanese islands merged
and fused into a single peo
ple before the dawn of his
tory. Writttn Language
The written language con
sists of Chinese picture-words
combined with a 50-character
Japanese syllabary. The sys
tem is so cumbersome than
an otherwise-admiring Brit
ish scholar wrote that "as a
practical instrument It Is sure
ly without inferiors.''
The countryside is beauti
ful. The houses, If drafly,
have a calm-Inducing simpli
city. But Tokyo Is one of
the scruffiest great cities any
where. To the Japanese, na
ture is an end in itself; the
home is a refuge; public build
ings and thoroughfares are
strictly utilitarian, like sew
ers In the Western world.
Japanese children arc cod
dled .Mid cussctcd until they
reach school age. Then the
web of family and social obli-
ASSEMBLE WIRING Female workers at Toshiba's Kom
ukai plant in Tokyo, Japan, arc shown above assembling
wiring for television sels. It takes each girl 40 seconds
to complete her part of the operation. The average Jap
anese wage-earner takes home only $18.48 a week, but
there are six television sets for every 10 families. (UP1)
gations begins to be drawn
tight. Only the very young,
the very old and the very
drunk arc exempt.
Atrocities Explainable
Japanese wartime atroci
ties, from the rape of Nan
king to the Bataan death
march and beyond, arc ex
plainable, if inexcusable. Japa
nese soldiers were systemati
cally brutalized by slaps and
beatings from their superiors.
They were serving abroad
and the lid was off the custo
mary inhibitions.
Commanders tolerated and
even connived at atrocities as
a means of striking fear into
the enemy and the conquered
peoples. The effect of course
was quite different.
The Japanese arc inscruta
ble only in old U.S. wartime
movlc9. They consider reserv
ed behavior in public to be
good manners. But on con
tact they arc kind, friendly
and even gay.
Marina Biologist
Emperor llirohiln, now (11,
a mild-mannered marine bi
ologist who stubbornly stared
down (he literal die-hards In
1945, Is no longer the sacred
and ultimate ubject of obli
gation and veneration.
Under the American-inspir
ed postwar constitution, he
Is simply "the symbol of (he
stole and of the unity of the
people.
In the Middle Ages the em
perors fell on hard times.
eventually being supplanted
anchored in Tokyo Bay and
demanded harboring, rcviclu
alling and trading privileges.
Japan, thirsty for progress
and determined not to be
colonized like most of hapless
Asia, burst open like an over
ripe seed and sprouted into
modernity.
The shogunate was abol
ished, the emperor restored.
Public education was en
forced almost overnight and
a tycoon class created at a
stroke.
Streams of eager young
men were sent to England to
study naval and maritime
practice, to the United States
for commercial and industrial
methods, to Germany for
military and scientific knowl
edge. 1
Within a generation, Japan
had embarked on her qwn
imperial adventures, annex
ing Okinawa from China in
1875. Within two generations
her fleet under Admiral Togo,
often called Japan's Lord
Nelson, had annihilated the
Russians in the Korea Strait.
Government Imported
Parliamentary government
was imporled, too. It flowered
briefly in the 1920's, but
withered in the glare of mili
tarism, extreme nationalism
and coloniul conquest in the
1930s.
After Pearl Harbor the
Japanese Empire, one of the
richest the world has ever
seen, swept from Burma to
Wake Island, from Manchu-
In actual power by a "shogun" I r'a l" New Guinea.
(literally, the full title means
barbarian-subduing general-
issimo"), who In turn might
be controlled by a regent.
In 1803 the year England's
first Queen Elizabeth died, a
shogun named Tokugawa ley
asu consolidated the warfare-
ridden country, forced mem
bers of the great duns to re
lay each other as courtier
hostages, left the powerless
emperor Installed at the an
cient capital of Kyoto and
moved the real capital to
Edo, renamed Tokyo.
Foreigners Banished
Foreigners, except tor a
tiny and closely-policed com
numity Of Dutch traders,
were banished. Christians,
converted by Francis Xavier
and his successors, were cru
cified. Sailors shipwrecked on
the Japanese shore were be
headed. Japan was sealed ufl tmni
the rest of the world.
This lasted 980 years, Then
the Americans, under Com
modore Matthew L'. Perry,
But the Americans built up
an overpowering niiliUry ma
chine. Japanese atrocities
quickly alienated the subject
peoples who might have be
come friends. Japan had all
the resources she needed
but her long supply lines to
them were quickly cut. Her
Industrial capacity was not up
to replacing the losses of
total war.
The first atomic bomb was
the coup de grace.
Postwar Japan
Postwar Japan turned to
peacetime pursuits with a
vengeance. The American-inspired
constitution specifical
ly outlaws war or the mainte
nance o( armed forces; Ja
pan's 200.000 - m a n "self-defense
force" is grudgingly
accepted as a cold war neces
sity by the majority Conserv
atives ami e, mstantly opposed
by the minority Socialists.
Democracy was grated onto
Japan by the v s occupation
authorities; II Is still uncer
tain thai it will take
If politics at Its best is prac
tical idealism, it is far from
its best in Japan. The faction
ridden Conservatives have
been accused of practicality
without realism, and the mill
lantly Marxist Socialists, of
idealism without practicality.
Small Communist Parly
There is a small, shrill
Communist party with 90,000
members and seven men in
Parliament. At the other end
of the scale there are spora
dic sentiments for a revival
of the old patriotic holidays,
but there is no concerted neo
nationalist movement.
Japan has become the
world's fourth-ranking nation
in industrial production. She
has seven cities of more than
one million population, lo-
kyo, the world's largest, num
bered 10,224.309 residents
within the city limits as of
last Jan. 1.
Yet one out of three Japa
nese live on farms, compared
to one out of 12 Americans or
one out of 25 Englishmen. The
average farm la 2A acres.
Japan has increased her
gross national product by an
average 10 per cent a year
since 1946. It went up an in-
redible 15 per cent last year
to $50 billion.
Leading Shipbuilder
She is the world's leading
shipbuilder. She ranks sev
enth in the world as an ex
porter and fifth in sports.
Japan has 12 million tele
vision sels In use, six for
every 10 families. The aver
age wage-earner takes home
SIS-SB a week and gets gen
erous fringe benefits besides.
On the other hand, Japan
rocks with the slightest shift
in world trade winds. The
"buy American" policy, for
example, has cost her S40
million a year in truck sales.
Onlv 10 per cent of Japan's
roads are paved; only 14 per
cent of the houses have sew
erago, Traffic regulations and
workmen's safety laws arc
laxly enforced.
A Source of Hope
Prime Minister Hayato Ike
da has summed up: "Japan is
an important member of the
free world and source of hope
for the new nations."
"But we cannot be satis
fied with what has been
achieved so far. Although the
economy has grown outatand-
I Ingly, capital accumulation IS
small and per capita income
is still far less than In Europe
cannot be denied that we also
arc lacking in love of coun
try, nation and traditions and
in public courtesy in social
life."
But the enormous capacity
of the Japanese for self-criticism
is equalled by their
tremendous drive for self-improvement.
" "- "- A C D E.
WHITE. ClfV
NEW DEVELOPMENT The first section of the building
on the extreme left is the new Cascade Market. The center
section with the roof windows is the arcade. The other
section shows the laundromat, barber shop, and beauty
O (stWU
shop with the bank building to the right. The covered
walk way can be noted along the roof line. Hard surfaced
driveways and parking areas will be on both sides of the
buildings.
Medford Student
Takes Solo Flight
A dream came true for a
16-year-old Medford boy Fri
day morning when he soloed
a Piper Tri-Pacer plane from
the Medford airport.
Grant Shaw Mayfield, son
of Mr. and Mrs. R. S. May
field, 332 Murphy ave.,
learned to fly last year and
has flown since that time, but
he could not solo until he was
16.
So determined was he to
solo on his birthday, that he
arranged with a doctor to
have his physical examination
the evening before afler
school.
Young Mayfield soloed Fri
day at 7:20 a.m., flying for
about 30 minutes. He now
has 10 hours of flying time,
according to his mother. The
Medford High school sopho
more has been attracted to
airplanes since he was a small
boy. Mrs. Mayfield said.
His father attended flight
school during World War II,
and his mother soloed about
three years ago. The only
member of the family who !
does not fly at the present is
Grant's sister, Marsha, who
will be 17 In May. The fam
ily owns a plane which they
keep at the Medford airport.
White City The opening
of the new Cascade Shopping
Center in White City has been
tentatively set for late in May
or early June to enable the
completion of additions to ori
ginal building plans.
The Cascade Super Market
has been doubled in size from
a 5,000 square feet to 10,000
square feet capacity because
of the expected demand for
the use of the building needs.
The addition of a bank
building is nearing comple
tion with the vault construc
tion. The First National Bank
of Portland will open a
branch office in the building
with a drive up window.
Also being included in the
shopping center will be the
beauty shop, barber shop, and
laundromat located at the
side of the market with a cov
ered arcade between the two
sections.
The arcade will include n
pond, tables, chairs, and
Two Posts Will Be
Filled on Board
Phoenix - Two vacancies
will be filled in the Phoenix
school district board in the
May fi election.
Terms expire for J. Allen
Harris, present chairman, who
is seeking reelection, and for
Bruce Cyphers, who is not a
candidate.
Harris, who represents the
Phoenix area in the combined
district of Talent and Phoenix,
is opixscd for the office by
MM. Leah Zundel, who also
Dawson Attends
Portland Meeting
Ashland Dr. James Daw
son, associate professor of
science at Southern Oregon
college, served as a panel
member and presented a
paper on 'The Importance of
Versatility in College Teach
ing" at the American Asso
ciation of Colleges for Teach
er Education seminar on the
Improvement of College
Teaching in Portland recent
ly. Purpose of the conference
was to study and discuss ways
to improve the quality of col
lege teaching.
Dr. Leonard Rice, president
of Oregon College of Educa
tion, was keynote speaker and
Dr. Roy Lieuallen, chancellor
of the Oregon state system of
higher education, was a ban
quet speaker.
drinking fountain for shop
pers in the center. A covered
walk will connect all build
ings with a hard surfaced cir
cular driveway allowing en
try to the center from either
end.
A drug store will be opened
in the near future in the oth
er half of the building which
now houses the Cascade
Sports Marina.
Other commercial business
es will be added to the shop
ping center in the future. Ac
cording to John Laden, inqui
ries regarding other types of
businesses, such as a restau
rant and bowling alley, have
been made to the company.
Swimming Pool Planned
A swimming pool is
planned for the use of resi
dents in the White City area.
The pool should be ready for
use by late this summer.
The desert area had been
used for grazing until World
War II. when the first real
development started with the
construction of an Army can
tonment. In 1946. when the
army declared the camp a
surplus, most buildings were
torn down with only a large
hospital and several large
warehouses and depot facili
ties remaining.
In 1948, the area was pur
chased by a group of indivi
duals as a site for future in
dustrial development. In 1951
a spur railroad line was built
to Tolo. connecting with the
Southern Pacific Railroad
line.
27 Industries in Area
Today there are 27 indus
tries, which include several
lumber mills of various types,
Oregon Washington Tele
phone company, and the Cen
tral Point rural fire depart
ment in the area. Besides the
industries there are several
service stations, a dress shop,
restaurants, a bottling com
pany, a tire shop, a church,
and real estate office.
A recent estimate was
made of between 300 and 400
homes, cither permanent or
mobile homes while the own
ers were building. About 70
new homes are included in
the White City realty sub
division, with long range
subdivision plans calling for
300 to 350 homes. The esti
mated building will be about
50 new homes a year, depend
ing upon demand. About
5,000 acres of land in the
Hoover subdivision liaa
already been sold in from 2
to 40 acre tracts.
Construction of several
duplexes in the area is
planned by a group of area
businessmen to meet the de
mand for rentals.
AT STARK'S MON., TUES., WED.
3-DAY SALE
WARRANTED USED
ELECTROLUX
RECONDITIONED BY STARKS OF PORTLAND
BIG MODEL 30 VACUUM CLEANERS
COMPLETE WITH SEVEN WORK
SAVING ATTACHMENTS
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95
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FREE TRIAL
it NOTHING DOWN
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ir PAYDAY TERMS
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COME IN OR PHONE FOR FREE HOME TRIAL
& PHONE 7724998
STARK'S
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Service
Warranty
Included Even
Al Thii Low
Low Price
22 N. Rivenidl
NEW STORE
HOURS:
8 am to 9 pm
Mon. & Fri.
Other Days
8 am to 6 pm
M
nr America.
' The lus is clearly ippar resides in the pnoenix area
ent in t be field of public in- ; Kd llrim ol Talent is a ran
Vestment, such as highways, i riidate for the post left va
housing and sanitation. It ' cant by Cyphers.
It's as easy as ABC to open
a savings account at . . .
Jrj1 Jackson County Federal
V Savings and Loan Assn.
Home Office-2 E. Main, Medford Ashland Branch-337 E. Main, Ashland
PARADE ENTRY BLANK
for the Rogue Valley
PEAR BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
Sat., April 20
r i
CHECK ONE
I NAME PHONE.
I
ADDRESS CITY
CONTRACT AGE
A ( ) Individuals jj
B ( ) Animals or pets
C ( ) Vehicle decoration
D ( ) Costumed walking groups j
E ( ) Organizational float
J
$
255
CASH
PRIZES !
Clip and Fill in Entry Blank
Bring in or Mail to:
PEAR BLOSSOM FESTIVAL
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MEDFORD, OREGON
00 GENERAL RULES
1. No animal larger than St. Bernard Dog.
2. All pets must be caged, leashed, or harnessed. It is permissible to
harness pets for floats, etc., providing pet is trained for this purpose.
3. Any age group may march in the parade but will be judged for
prizes on following basis:
a. Anyone up through sixth grade students.
b. Anyone from seventh grade and older.
c. Only one parade entry blank should be prepared for a group
entry.
4. All entries will be judged prior to start of parade. Judging will
beg-n promptly at 1-.30 P.M. All entries will receive an entry ribbon.
Late arrivals will be allowed to enter line of march but may not be
judged for prizes unless time permits
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE