Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-11
Japanese Press 0utspoken in
Demands for ChangeS-Yo-
kohama Paper Analyses the
Causes of Strife

Under The title "Jsp3n's Gi>erg n
lied System Of GOIcrnme1 t," the YO
kOhama AaiehO recently published th,
following remarkably GutSpOkCn crit
ciSm Of Japan's present policy. 1t h.
been received Eere from the >peci"
correspondent of tFC Hawaii HccFi
The article was written before hat
SHrL assumed tie premiership. hut tn
article j. meme tie less Timely.
1t is genuinely disgusting to all "a
iriotlC Japanese to be competed tC
witness how miserably organized i!
their COuntry's government. We ar
supposed 10 be governed by a c3nsti
tufion, but where is The constitution
when it is most painfully needed
There Is a parliament, but where /!
the parliament that is powerful
enough to give law to the people anC
TO the army as we'll? We are said t
have political parties. but where are
the political parties when they arr
most badly needed to fight tie peo
pies cause? The Government is sale
to be a Constitutional Government
over which rules the cabinet, consist
ing of nine ministers. Hut are they
ruling? Are not the ministers acting
more like domestic servants tnan any
thing else? All these questions bring
painfully to home that the Japanese
government is as badly, as poorly, or
ganized, or rather disorganizeG, as arc
the Turkish, Afghanistan OF Persian
Governments.
Lately Marquis saionjl, the Prem
Ter, formed a scheme OF aGministra
tive and financial reforms by which
ne intended to save some 100000
yen in ordinary expenditures and
some 100000 yen from the extra
ordinary account. Then 1t became
necessary that the Department OF
War should also make a cut. 1t is
reported that the other departments
have cut their expenses by 10 per
Of Communication is said to have cut
1000, 900 yen, the Navy Department g.,
100000 yen, and the Department OF
Agriculture and Commerce 10000, 900
yen, and the other departments in
proposition. But the War Department
cut only 100000 yen, while, if it
made proportional cuts with other de-
partments, it should have made cut
of at least 100000 yen. The War
Minister insisted that instead Of max
ing a reduction of expenditures in his
department he wants TO Increase the
ARMY by two more divisions, and that
he would make further reduction if the
cabinet agree to the proposed increase
Of two divisions, but not otherwise.
Marquis SaionJ would not"yield to
the demand Of his War Minister, and
then the War Minister, General Ue-
hara, resigned. The Marquis could
not find any one who would take the
place of the resigned minister; there
fore, he and his remaining ministers
have all resigned. At the same time
they (the Minister'S have all left
their official residences and returned
to their private homes. When the
resignation of the cabinet had been
rendered to the Emperor. His Males
ty did not accept the resignation but
told Saionji to see to it that the Gov
eminent is going until further notice.
As Saionji did not recommend his
successor after the resignation. the
Elder Statesmen have assembled in
the Imperial Palace and are consult
ing who should be made the successor
of the Saionji Cabinet. 1t was rumor-
ed at first that Prince Katsura will be
the successor, then Count Terauchi,
the Governor-Gen of Korea, and
again this morning it was the Mar
qdis Matsukata, one of the Elder
Statesmen, and aged IS years. At
this writing It is entirely unknown
who would form the next cabinet.
There are. usual political intrigues
and coupter-intrigues, and suspicion
OF intrigues where there is no in
trigue. The fight between the Choshu
and Satsuma clans, the underha1ded
fight for supremacy among the Cho'
shu clan itself between the partisans
Of Prince Yamagata and Prince Kat
sura, the fight between the Saionji
Cabinet and the so-called bureaucracy,
etc. II the present crisis were simply
the struggle of these jarring clements
OF the Japanese politics there is
nothing particularly attractive or SEN
sational that distinguishes ii from the
ordinary fights between the contend
ing political parties in the West, such
as the war between the Republicans
and the Democrats in America, or be-
tween the Liberals and Conservatives
in England But, alas! The present
political crisis has brought out the
innate weakness of the Japanese Gov
eminent and the fundamental defects
in its organization. which, unless rem
edied at once, will eliminate in such
a catastrophe as we witnessed in Per
STA this Spring.
In Unusual Way.
|. In the first place, the war min
lister in resigning handed his resig>
nation direct to the emperor instead of
the hand of the prime minis
ter This is a revolutionary proceed
ing for which there is no precedent in
our constitutional history. This is
regrettable, as this &C
ton brings home direct to the emper-
or the worry over the political affairs
of the country, to prevent which is the
first duty Of the ministers. Further,
the war minister was appointed by the