PACT WITH SOVIET

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 April 1941, Page 5

PACT WITH SOVIET

CAME AS UNEXPECTED WINDFALL ACCORDING TO JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER. RELATIONS WITH THE AXIS TIGHTENED. (By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright) TOKIO, April 20. The Foreign Minister. Mr Matsuoka, on arriving at Manchuli, told the Press: “I had not expected at all the Neutrality Pact with the Soviet, on which negotiations were completed in about 10 minutes.” He said that the aim of his trips had been “successfully accomplished because I discussed various matters with German and Italian leaders without reserve. As a result the Tripartite Pact has been tightened. To see for myself is worth all the books of travel, and I think I could well undersand the present conditions of the Axis Powers.”

The Minister explained that though originally it was not included in his itinerary, he paid a courtesy call on MM. Stalin and Molotov in order to thank them “for the warm entertainment accorded me by the Soviet and this led to the conclusion of the Neutrality Pact.” Mr Matsuoka, in a broadcast, said that the new pact was advantageous to both sides. He praised enthusiastically the remarkable advance in conditions in the Soviet since his last visit 'in 1933 and said that as a result of his conversations with Hitler and Mussolini the Three-Power Pact had been tightened. He declared that the Soviet, Germany and Italy were making full preparedness and were firm in their resolution to combat the unprecedentedly aggravated world situation. There was evidence everywhere in Germany and Italy that the peoples of those countries tend to share their common destiny with Japan.

The Japanese Press declared today that it was no longer a crazy dream to expect a great war with Japan, Germany, Italy and the Soviet on one side, and the United States, Britain' and China on the other.

The newspaper “Miyako,” which reflected all the other papers, said that a possible war between Germany and the United States would necessarily lead to a war between Japan and the United States, and this war might come before June.

Japan and the Soviet appear to be accepting the new Neutrality Pact at its face value. There have been recent removals of Japanese troops in Manchukuo to the south in a direction which indicates that they are not bound for China but for Dairen or elsewhere, whence they could be embarked for a movement to Singapore or Indo-China.