Asia: Japan's Aid Push

It was only a matter of time before Asia's richest industrial power tried to accomplish by friendly persuasion what it had failed to win in war: economic dominance of a huge region. Last week, amid toasts in French champagne to Oriental solidarity, Japan made its boldest move in economic diplomacy in 30 years. It invited nine Southeast Asian nations to its first postwar trade-and-aid conference and, to general surprise, minister-level delegations came from eight—Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Viet Nam and Thailand. While many guests still held grudges against Japan, the mood was summed up by...