Japan Tightens Its Control on Ex-Servicemen

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 25, 13 February 1937, Page 16

Japan Tightens Its Control on Ex-Servicemen

TOKYO. — The Imperial Ex-Service-men's Association, which, with its 3,000,000 . members, ali f ormer soidiers and sailors, organised in 15,000 local groups throughout Ihe country, constitutes one of Japan 's largest organisations, has been recently r'eorganised and placed under the direct control of the Ministers of War and Havy, who will henceforward appomt the head of the association. The elfect of this change, which was announced through an Imperial ordinance ,is to substitute direct for indirect military and naval control and to establish more responsibility for the politifeal activities of the reservists. Hitherto the association has been a kind of happy huutmg ground for retired generals and admirals, who, in Japan as in other countries, are apt to cherish strongiy conservative views. Its publie expressions of opiuion have been strongiy lnliuences by .the "Meirmkai" — Soicety of Higher Ethics — a conservative and xiredomiuantly militanst body vvhich repudiates the wiider terrorist methods of .the most extreme nationailsts, but is strongiy opposed to iiberaiism, constitutionalism and other supposedly subversive "isms." Last year the Association of ExiServicemen repeatedly dragged up the so-called Minobe Theory, according to which the power of the Lmperor is subject to certaiu constitutiouai limitations, as a stick. with which to beat the mildly liberai Okada Cabinet, which was machiue-gunned out of existenee by the out break of February 26, 1936. It may be doubted how much the simplc-mmded peasauts and fishermen who make up a iarge x>art of the rank-and-lile membershixi of the association know or care about uiceties of constitutmai lnterpretatiou. But to the majority of higk military and naval ohieers any theory that denies absolutc power of the Lmperor or seems to justify parliameutay interference in military and naval all'airs is as the traditional red rag to a bull. Japanese prcss eomments on the new status of tlie association has been somewhat niixcd. It is recognised that more responsibimy will presumably be en-. formed in tlie poutical utterances of the associati-on and that it cannot so easily be used as a means of embarrassmg future Cabinets, since the War and Navy Ministers are sponsers for its ; leadership. . At the same time, the plae-

mg of the association under such direct military and naval control may conceivabiy infiuence its members as citizens and turn out uitimateiy as a step toward that complete totalitarian mobiiisation of Japan's human and materiai resources which is the ldeai of some of the younger miiitarists.