JAPAN’S WARMAKERS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 259, 31 July 1942, Page 5

JAPAN’S WARMAKERS

Threatened Revolt During Talks With U.S.A. NEW YORK, July 29. Mr. Otto D. Tolischus, the repatriating correspondent of the "New York Times,” cabling from Lourenco Mar.ques, says that the forces behind the Japanese war party were, first, the extremist army officers under tlie leadership of the air chief, General Doihara, and General Shunroko Hata, the commander-ln-elilef in China, backed up by Mr. Kumataro Honda, Ambassador to Nanking, the Japanese senior statesman. Secondly, there was the ultranationalist Tohokal under the leadership of Seigo Nakano, which was the tool of the militarist's and tlie German Nazis. This group issued threats of wholesale assassina tlons. Thirdly, there was a group of bureaucrats advocating totalitarianism rather than war. Japan was so thoroughly committed to the war in Cliina that any hope of inducing her to withdraw from China was futile from tlie start. This made a fundamental settlement between Japan and the United States impossible. However, Prince Konoye and Matsuoka considered it possible to pursue tlie Cliina policy and at the same time avoid war with Britain and America. Pursuing this aim they entered into an alliance witli Germany to keep the United States from war by intimidation. When that policy failed, Prince Konoye split witli Matsuoka and tried to reach an agreement iu tlie Washington negotiations. His plans were wrecked by tlie al tempted assassination of Baron Iliranuma and a threatened repetition of the revolt of February 26, 1936, which Japan could not afford in view of tlie international situation.