The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-09-09
SAYS JAPAN'S NAVY
IS VALUELESS NOW
Captain Ota's Speech Has
Caused Sensation in
Flowery Kingdom.

TOXIC, Sept. quite sensation
has been caused in naval circles by an
address delivered by Captain Ota be-
fore the War Affairs Investigation as
ISOLATION. 1t is not often that Japa-
nese naval or military officer permits
himself such latitude as did Captain
Ota on this occasion and there is
some talk about the application Of the
disciplinary law by way of punishment
for the views he ventured to express.
The gist OF Captain Ota's philippe
is that the naval authorities are max
ing mistake in being too eager to
complete the works on land, seeing
that the navy necessarily has its ef-
ficiency on sea and naval strength can
be increased only by the construction
Of powerful fleet.
To illustrate this contention Captain
Ota pointed to the five naval stations
on the coast Of this country. In es-
| tablishing these naval stations the
country was divided into five artifi-
cial sections, naval station being es-
tablished in the best harbor in each
division; but as coast defences none
Of these has any real significance.
Each Japanese naval station is pre-
sided over by an admiral or a vice ad-
miral, with rear admiral for chief
staff officer. Outwardly they are very
imposing as compared with the big
naval stations Of the foreign naval
powers, but viewed from a strategic
standpoint most of them are valueless.
In this connection the captain stat
ed that attacks by an enemys fleet
| would come on the southwestern side
OF this country, as more than once
evinced in the late war. The captain
reviewed the various naval stations,
denouncing Maizuru as not only USE
less but rather harmful, since its pres
ence hinders the quick movement of
the navy. He admitted that with the
annexation of Corea the naval station
projected at Chinhal bay might be
necessary, but even here he depre-
Gated the outlay of gigantic capital. So
long as Japan's main naval force is
| concentrated at Sasebo it is unthinka-
Bile that small section of the enc
my's fleet will trespass on the sea of
Japan to squander their stock of am
munitiOn.
Captain Ota also says that in the
Japanese navy official posts are given
for personal considerations. A lieu
tenant commander may command a
warship, but in the Japanese navy, Of
ficers of this rank occupy much low
er posts. Again, under the present
system OF organization torpedo sta
tons transact the business of fish tor
pedoes and submarine mines, whereas
in England the management of sub
marine mines is left to the army. See
ing that the one Is for offensive and
the other for defensive purposes, the
placing OF the two under one and the
same management Is calculated to
cause considerable Inconvenience and
friction. According to Captain Ota, If
radical reforms were effected in the
present Japanese naval organization
the annual naval expenditure could be
reduced by one-third.
Another evil is the lack of uniformi-
ty in the guns with which japanese
war ships are equipped. Whereas r.
inch guns are recognized as compos-
ing the main battery. subsidiary S-inch
guns are generally carried. At first
sight this may appear a happy COM
bination. but in practice it is other
wise, seeing that the war ships have
to store shells of different sizes,
circumstance calculated to entail great
Inconvenience and confusion in the
supply Of shells during actual en-
gagements.
In the course of an explanation OF
the reasons for making this expose of
the defects of the Japanese navy Cap
tain Ota is quoted as saying
when I came back from Europe
for the second time after the war with
Russia l could but muse when
saw the inner workings of the navy,
especially in the light of the knowl-
edge I had of European navies. I
state emphatically that our navy is
formidable only in appearance-the
heart is rotten. If the existing de-
fects are not speedily remedied the
nation will some day have to pay the
penalty and in the interim to bear ev.
en- larger and larger appropriations to
no useful purpose"
The captain said that he had re-
signed because the naval authorities
had turned a deaf ear to his represen-
tations.