NAVAL POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 March 1921, Page 5

NAVAL POLICY.

JAPAN’S ARMAMENT BILL. HALF OF NATIONAL REVENUE. NO OPPOSITION MADE. By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. Received March 26, 5.5 p.m. Toki'o, Miarch 25. The Budget, appr'opriairing half the mutkmlal revenue for axmamenits, was paisaed an bath Houses wiit'hout opposition. The Minister of Marine stated that riiie report thlat America was concentrating her navy in the Pacific was imbrue. The poisution would be itoo grave for open dtefcuisrion in Parliament if the report were true. —Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn.

JAPAN AND THE WORLD. UNIVERSAL HOSTILITY PREDICTED. IF CONTINUES MILITARISTIC. Tokio, March 24. President Muto, of the Japanese- Association of Trade, {iriterviewed, sadd that Japan will find herself the enemy of all the world if she persists in her naval expansion programme, which is leading her along the path Germany and every other militaristic nation had trod. The United States in 1921 will be spending one-tenth of her national income for armaments’ and Japan , half. “I am convinced, as I read American history, that America would never fight an aggressive war, hence an AmericanJapanese war is impossible while Japan abides by the principles of right and justice,” he added.

Count Kato, Minister of Marine, interviewed, said he regretted to see sinister propagandists and mischiefmakers were trying to attribute Japan’s naval programme to the desire to compete with the United States. Nothing could be more preposterous or absurd. The programme was formulated so that Japan could be defended against any emergencies arising in the Far East alone. The projected fleet of eight battleships and eight battle cruisers not over eight years old was not necessarily irreducible. Japan had joined the League of Nations, and by doing so supported the principle 'of the reduction of armaments. Whenever there was an international conference he would be only too glad to co-operate honestly with other Governments to effect this prin-ciple.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. JAPAN AND AMERICA. Washington, March 23. Baron Megata, Japanese delegate at the Geneva Assembly of the League, in tt speech said: “I believe everybody left Geneva feeling that appreciable progress had been made toward the establishment of an international association whose principal aim was to prevent or lessen the -chances of war. Nobody felt America’s absence more keenly than the Japanese delegates. Japan feels itself drawn closely toward unity with the English-speaking peoples in eastern affairs.” Mr. Tait, in a speech, pointed out that if Americans knew more concerning Japanese affairs and the Japanese more concerning the Californian situation there would be less friction. He added that if -they Looked far into the future it was more likely the institutions of Western civilisation would extend to Asia than that the star of Empire should take the reverse course, and if they wished -to be a real friend to China they should cultivate Japanese friendship and through her and by her co-operation and, if necessary friendly restraint, accomplish America’s benign purposes in the Far East.