JAPAN IN THE PACIFIC.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 44, 14 August 1911, Page 7

JAPAN IN THE PACIFIC.

GETTING NEARER TO AUSTRALIA.Tokio, July 27. '. When in April Admiral Saito and Admiral Ariu visited a number of the islands round Japan they were most favorably impressed by the advantages of the Bonin Islands as a base for future operations in the Pacific. As a result, plans were formed for the establishment of fortifications there. The Navy Department has issued a formal denial of any such intention, declaring that the naval policy of the Government is to increase the moveable armaments, rather than to devote large sums for fixed defences. In spite of this official statement, however, the rumor is generally accepted as authentic. The Bonin 'lslands, known also as the Parry group of the Arzobispo Islands, lie south and east from the eastern point of Japan, almost directly west of the Hawaiian Islands, and north and east of the Philippines. Hongkong-Honolulu vessels and Yokohama-Sydney ships touch there. Vancouver, July 27. The statement that Japan intends to establish a naval base at the Bonin Islands has caused some uneasiness here. This move is regarded as another step in the direction in which a clashing of Japanese and American interests lie, while the menace to Australia is generally commented upon.