Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-27
PLEA FOR GREATER NAVY
BY JAPANESE ADMIRAL
Every Day Plan OF Replction is De.
Iaycd Means One More Day
OF Danger.
CEITICIzES PRESENT PLANS
Only Desire OF Nation, lie Says,
Should 80 for Adequate Defense,
AMI Not Ambition to Compete With
Any Other Power.

'hiNcd-of public utterance OF the week |
IN Japan Is plea for greater navy.
Put forth by Admiral Tomasaburo
ha'o' Minister OF the Marine who /
commanded the Japanese ships that
D"inb'rdcd tho German fortress at
Using hau
Among the most forccful assertions
he makes in his bigger navy argument
arc the following:
Every day the plan o, naval rcple- !
'ion ~ delayed means one day more OF
danger to tho empire"
when the time comes that nation
Is unable to meet the outlay neces-
shry to adequate naval defense that
Hntion is bankrupt"
To abandon the navy is tantamount |
10 abandoning the state"
should emergency arise. the nation
mas no right to expect the present navy
10 meet and defeat any enemy OF Inn J
po-tancc"
under contemplation Is completed Japan
will have but four ships Of the Dread
noueht Fuse type. ana four new battle
cruisers Of tho Kongo class. the ad- /
miral believes that Germany will have
forty one battlcshipB and twenty bat .
tie cruisers under her arranged pro-
gram and emphasizes that the Amcri /!
can navy is expanding a, a correspond
ing rate Russia. too. he said va,
building up great navy Of three
sauadrons Of twelve units each. com
pared with which tho navy OF Japan
will be quite insignificant.
The minister added: Japan can
never afford TO be satisfied with her
present naval plans II she expects to
maintain the position she has won.
She VIII then be Obliged 10 take her ,
p'ac" beside China. Greece and Spain.
Japan must replace her present obso.
lcte units by units Of modern eff
cheney"
What he wanted for his country he
said. was nj leas, twelve battleships
ot tho Fuse class. Even at that. ne
asserted. Japan's feet would still be
inferior 10 some others. Left as it
MAS now, he believed that the navy
would be worthless In case OF war.
NAVAL. PREPARATION
IS CAUSE OF yICrORY
Looking backward 10 The war with
'tussta. the minister makes III" point
that although the victory 1T IN" great
battle OF Tsushiina has been ascribed
70 the virtues Of tn. Emperor ana the
Skill OF the hero. ldmiral Togo moth
'ng could hay" saved the Lay II naval
preparation had been Inadequate.
"The very thought .ual.es "@cry true
Japanese shulder." the admiral de-
clarcd. "Prop.:cd us 80 w"rc then. il ,
vas none the less necessary FOR The
authorities after tn" ,rar 10 take steps
FOR further increasing tire navy. but
'h.y have been hiud-T.d somewhat by Z
financial Imitation"
M"uutiru" tile minister DICTATED the
eiea, power, hay" expanded their
uayics causing g vas, ana significant
hAuEt 81. tho ba!uIc" OF naval power.
Tn" S"lu.au. American nnd British .
were I'll in tho first lin" "f battle fleets.
and although a. the tim" OF the Russo
Japanese War Inc Japanese navy was
listed ~ tn" naval annual as one OF
he great a-h,inE forces OF the world.
:; l. now no longer so described. This
was because in naval accretion Japan
had rot kept abreast N"f other great
navies.
In conclusion the minister coutended
hat Japan had no ambition TO COM
Detc with any Other nation In naval
expansion. Competition on naval ar'na-
uente had been shown 10 be futile by
the examples nf I'm gland ard Germany.
Iapau's only desire was adequate de-
tense. He said: "Wc should have a
force equal to any tha' an enemy might
send TO these waters our present plans
are certainly auyth!n:, but cXtrava-
uant or ambitious III" nation should
40, be endangered oi account Of mere
ma ucial considerations. TIE safety
~ the empire cannot be lcf, 20 the
fluctuations OF thr ircasUr Every
Jay the plan Of naval depletion is de
laycd means ono day more % danger
10 the empire.
POLITICALLY INSPIRED
RUFFIANS TO BLAME
Politically inspired rur'nns are be-
traitors OF The attempt 10 assassinate
the Prime Minister, Count ShiEeuobu
Okums. on the night OF January ~.
The Premier was returning from a
grand state banquet offered by tho
Emperor in honor OF the Cars cousin.
,he Grand Duke Micha elovitch. who
came here to convey the coronation
concentrations from the Russian
court.
,i,,s~ n
but what | dcpiore is the spirit OF
commercialisnl AMI envy which breeds
such cowardly doings as assassination
or assault. Thes: acts are remnant
OF the past and cannot be tolerated in
this advanced stage OF modern ciTili-
zation am anxious that we should
show n marnanimous attitude worthy
Of a great power during the stay OF
our distinguished guest. and that moth
ing happen to mar his pleasure.
II, Japan there exists 4 class of men
which can hardly he called criminal
and which vet contributes nothing to
society. They are known rs ''soshi."
and usually take a leading part in po-
litical riots and other disturbances.
They are popularity supposed TO be
hired hv political groups when any
public violence is conspired. The word
'soshi" literally, means useful samu
raj" and In former days sgnihed
brave, young patriot. Gradually the
terni like the man degeneratcd to-day
in ',upular parlance II means strong
armed men" Although 10 arrests
have been made. the police are inclined
10 lay the crime At the door OF these
individuals rather than to an aTar
rhis;ic organization.
The belief entertained in some quar-
tiers that the attempt may have been
made Ivy German spies or Chinese rev
r!utiOnarieS Is not generally held. and
Tho popular idea is that the crime was
the work OF Japanese nalcontents.
Count OkumnS ccsape, which was
exceedingly narrow, was undoubtedly
due To the extrao ordinary presence Of
mind OF his chauffeur. The driver no
iccI a man suddenly emerge from a
dark alley between toy shop and a
confcc.ioncr's. lie was waving his