NAVAL ARMAMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 661, 13 October 1933, Page 5

NAVAL ARMAMENT

(Press Assn.-

rDISASTROUS RACE failure of confe^rence fraught with j~ * danger AMERICA AND JAPAN *

-By Telegraph — Copyright).

(Rec. 7.0 p.m.) Tokio, October 11. Mr. Wakatsuki declares that the failure of the naval conference of 1935 would precipitate a new Ja-panese-American armament race which would be disastrous to Japan. Twenty-five new warships of types jegulated by treaty, eleven vessels fiee from treaty limitations, and_ eight additional air squadrons — such Js Japan's Second Naval Replenishment Programme, wrltes the naval correspondent of the Morning Post. Appropriations totalling 670,000,000 yen (£67,000,000 at par) have, according to Japanese Press reports, been asked from - the Finance Department by the Navy Office. This i sum will be spread over a period of four years. Details of the vessels to Je built are given as follows: — Cruisers, 2 of 8500 tons each; air-craft-carriers, 2 of 10,000 tons each; mine-layer, 1; destroyers, 14; subjnarine, 6; oi! tanker, 1; repair ships 1; submarine parent-ship, 1 ; torpedo boats, 4; submarine chasers, 4. These details are uneonfirmable, but are believed to be "near the juark." In addition to new building, a sum of 75,000,000 yen (£7,500,00 at par) is to be asked for the reconstruction of- two battleships (Mutsu and Nagato), two aireraft-carriers (Akagi and Kaga), and two cruisers. The reeonstruction of the two battleships will probably consist primarily of increasing gun elevation. The total of these "new demands" 1 issaid to amount to 430,000,000 yen »P! £43,0 0 0.0 0 0 at par), which, together ijj rcith 250,000,000 yen (£25,000,000 at par) for "ordinary expenditure," a lirings the total naval estimates for e r.ext fiscal year up to the figure of le 680,000,000 yen (£68,000,000 at a] par). rtl As the "War Department is said to P* be asking 560,000,000 yen (£56,000,600 at par), for its next year's apa propriations, the total cost of national defence in next year's budget (if I approved) will not be less than 1,240,s. 000,000 yen (£124,000,000 at par). os The Second Naval Replenishment II provides for the expansion of the 7 Naval Air Force by eight squadrons. ad Under the current programme the jii Naval Air Force is being expanded rif from 17 to 29 squadrons during the th six-year period 1931-97, and the esa tablishment of two more air squad- : rons during the three -year period sc 1935-38, thus ensuring Japan a total C]J of 31 naval air squadrons by April, I i 1938.