JAPAN'S ARMY.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1918, Page 3

JAPAN'S ARMY.

NEW ZEALAND VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS. That Japan, inscrutable country of Hie mysterious East, is to a great extent an armed camp waiting for the moment to strike a decisive Wow, from which she will gain an advantage to herself, 19 the impression a Sun representative gathered from a talk with a Dnnedin man, Mr T- <'!. Wade, who has just returned to New Zealand from a sojourn in the Orient and the South Sea Islands. Of the 11 months in which he has been away from New Zealand, Mr Wade spent eight months in Japan. It was only recently that he left that country, although he did not return directly to New Zealand. Incidentally, it may be remarked that as one who has seen service in the present war with the Australian forces 'before being invalided •through many wounds, he was orderly at camp tri General Sir Win. Birwood on Gallipcli, and held the rank of captain when lie was discharged, Mr Wade was particularly interested in the military life of Japan, as well as the engineering business, which took him there. Throughout his stay in their land, Mr Wade found the Japanese very well disposed towards the Entente Allies and very bitter towards the Germans. He noticed that the framing of the Japanese army, formerly modelled on German lines, now closely follows the British system as improved by the lessons of the present war, but is more severe. It is he said, a very vigorous training, and the result is a very fine soldier. So far as he could ascertain, the Japanese regular army stood at about 1,800,000, but under the present system of compulsory training for definite periods of short intervals, her available force was increased to about eight million of well-trained troops. The couipment of the Japanese soldier also follows the British type, and the artillery is of the most up-to-date models. The preparations for war are on a. vast scale. Munition factories and ammunition depots he found to be numerous and large. One of the new munitions factories covers an area of about 150 acres as an indication of the manner in which Ja.pan has taken to manufacturing modern weapons of war. Mr Wade stated that on entering one depot in particular he was especiallv struck by the sight of a vow fully 150 yards long of Lewis machine guns closely packed, all apparently made in Japan. Mr Wade added that Japan is supplying the whole of the equipment and munitions for the allied forces in Siberia.