JAPAN'S MILITARY AMBITIONS.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 10, 27 January 1937, Page 4

JAPAN'S MILITARY AMBITIONS.

Japan is just now going through one oi her not altogether infrequent internal political crises. As is generally the case with them, the conflict is between the militarist cult, eager to increase the strength of both army and navy, and those who are desirous of giving more attention to social, industrial and commercial development. The militarists have succeeded so far as to drive out of office a Prime Minister, Mr. Hirota, who with his Cabinet was endeavouring to maintain some kind of balance between the contending factions. A message received yesterday was to the effect that the formation of a new Ministry had been entrusted to an exarmy man, General Ugaki. Apparently, howevei", he is not one of the extreme militarist type, and we are to-day told that . the army and navy leaders refuse to co-operate with him. When considering Japan's domestic political affairs it has always to be borne in mind that she has not yet advanced very far towards a truly democratic system of government. She certainly has her Diet or Parliament with an elective House of Representatives, hut there is still a very great deal of real authority vested in the Emperor and his personal advisers. Especially has this to be said with regard to the control and direction of the fighting forces. In the first place the Constitution provides that the Minister of War — significantly enough he is not styled Minister of Defence — must always he drawn from the active list of army or navy officers. Hence the significance of to-day 's latest message which says that General Ugaki has had to abandon his task of forming a Ministry because he could find no.one ready to accept the War portfolio. As a matter of fact, so far as control of the army and navy is concerned the Diet has little say beyond voting the funds deemed necessary for their establishment and upkeep. As in the present case, it has usually been on this point that political crises have arisen. In the main it may be said that the militarists have been accustomed to carry the day, as is shown by the immense expenditure on military and naval expansion that has gone on, almost continuously, since the Great War started. The result, of course, is that very heavy taxation has had to be imposed from which, however, the great mass of the people get but small benefit. At the same time, however, we have to recognise that the Japanese people as a whole, and especially the younger generations, are thoroughly imbued with the idea that their country's destiny is to dominate the affairs of Eastern Asia. With this end in view they are prepared to go to great sacrifices in tji5 way of furnishing the funds necessary for placing their fighting forces on a level that will, as far as possible, assure the attainment and maintenance of that position. Hence the diffieulty which those political leaders of moderate views find in checking inordinate expenditure on armaments that not only keeps the people themselves. poor but also excites alarm, and in at least one case hostility, on the part of other nations with' which they wish to cultivate more f riendly relations. We are by this time all pretty well aware of the aggressive and acquisitive activity the Japanese militarists — with the approval of probably the great majority of the Japanese people, proud of the achievements of their army and navy — have displayed on the Asiatic continent. It is with this in mind that what may appear a matter of purely domestic concern becomes one of seridus international import.