SCANDALS IN JAPANESE ARMY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 242, 6 October 1908, Page 4

SCANDALS IN JAPANESE ARMY

TREASON" ALIjK(JIVI) All A INST OMCEK:* Tokio, August 12. Serious scandals among otlicers in tin' Japanese army arc 'being disclosed. Captain Kawakita was recently killed by a Japanese gendarme at, l'ekin while resisting arrest on suspicion of selling military secrets to ltnssin, and it is now disclosed thai there has lieeu recently a number of removals for misconduct. and other ollieers ate under investigation for alleged lietrayal of military secrets. L'oineidently many instances of ill-treatment of soldiers by ollieers are reported, several soldiers liaving committed suicide. The details have been withheld from the public, but the Kavv.xkita case as a climax, has forced revelations. Leading newspapers vehemently attack the army, charging that since'the war the ollieers have become demoralised, living extravagantly and dishonorably, and that corruption is the natural result. I hey suggest that the nation is vesting immense sums on an army which may prove worthless in a crisis. (leneral Nogi joins the critics, ami .savs the trouble is higlu'i- up. and that until the senior ollieers set a better example the juniors cannot be expected to walk straight. Ollicial concern over the brtrayal of military secrets is illustrat<>d by (lie court-imirtiat sentence of sk years given to Yokosukn, a clerk «\t a naval station, who furnished to a newspaper insigniiicaiit forbidden information. The editor is under arrest.