The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-15
JAPS PLAN TO
INCREASE QUOTA
OF BATTLESHIPS
Fast Cruisers and Light
Scout Ships Included in
Their Program.

I
nought two cruisers, one destroyer,
three submarines and two special ser
vice ships constitute the program OF
naval building for Japan for the COM
ing year. Admiral Kato, minister for
marine, explained the naval extension
project before the budget committee
| of the Diet yesterday in response 10
an Interpolation. The battleship will
be about the same type as the Fuse
and .Yamashfro, which was recently
| launched, and will carry twelve IA
inch guns and sixteen 6-inch guns.
The two cruisers will have a, speed of
R8 knots. They will probably be in
the nature of light scout ships. Their
armament has not yet been decided.
The submarines will have a disp1ace-
ment of seven hundred tons, each,
speed of Is knots on the surface and
10 knots in the water and will carry
one gun.
Admiral Kato expressed that the
war in Europe would not necessitate
any considerable alteration in the nav
al armament of the great powers. He
fully recognized, he said, the effect
iveness of aircraft and submarines as
weapons of offence as demonstrated
in the present war but he believed
that these facts hardly affected the
position OF the battfeship as engine
of war. If the Kaiser's warships dar-
ed not venture from their own shelter
ed waters it was because of the pow
erf1l British squadrons awaiting them
outside The absence of any great
naval engagement in Europe must be
ascribed to. the very great difference
between the British and German nav
les AS for submarines, however, ac-
lively they might work, their activi-
ties were confined within certain linn
its and they could hardly be expected
to place the great batt1eships hors de
combat The minister said that equip
ment was now being provided on ships
against air attacks. He was confident
that the dreadnaugIt remained the
basic unit of great navies.
The admiral further said that in
deciding the armament for new bat
tleships the naval authorities preferred
the twelve 14-inch guns principle to
the eight 15-inch of the British and
German navies because they deemed
the former more advantageous than
the latter from the viewpoint of naval
tactics. Furthermore the authorities
believed that there would occur no
change in the shape and size of war
ships and naval guns in the near
future. The minister's remarks
Drought out the fact that Japan's
eventual program includes the estab-
lishner1t of first line fleet Of eight
battleships and eight great battle
cruisers
Admiral Kato was asked particu-
1arly by K Kobayashi, a, member of
the committee, as to the comparative
strength Of the japanese navy and
those Of Great Britain, Germany and
the United States. The member also
wanted to know whether the naval
authorities were confident of victory
in case of warrior Instance, in case
of war with the. United States. He
asked what plan the navy had in case
the United States attacked Japan with
her naval strength twice that of the
Japanese navy To this Admiral Kato
replied. that figures do not always de-
eide the issue of a battle. He is quot
ed having added: eff the American /
navy invades Japan we have only to
encounter it with the best tactics and
art of warfare, to the last vessel and
last man, meanwhile relying on the |
dignity of the august emperor and the |
strong support of a sixty millions ma
ton. This is the decision of our navy |
in such an eventua1ity."
Simultaneous with the opening of |
the Diet has come a sweeping change
in the personnel of the navy. Espec-
tally noteworthy is the appoin tnent of i
Vice Admiral Yashiro, ex-r11inister of |
the navy, to be commander-in-chief !
of the second suadron; Vice Admiral
Nawa, as commander-in-chief of Mai |
zuru naval station Vice Admiral Mu-
rakami commandments of the |
third suadron; Vice Admiral Yamaya
who commanded the Japanese squad
war operations last year, as Vice
Chief of the naval board of command; |
and the transfer of Vice Admiral Ia |
karabe from commander-ship of the
third squadron to the command of the |
secondary naval station at Port Ar |
thur.
Since resigning as minister of ma |
rine. Vice Admiral Yashiro, who won
the applause of the public as leader |
of the navy cleansing in connection
wit. the naval scandal of last year
has been leading a. secluded life in a
suburb of Kioto devot1ng himself to
the study of Buddhistic philosophy |
His appointment to the new post to-
geher> with his restration to active ser
vice has attracted much approval
The changes are generally regarded
IN Toxic as indicating commence4I
nent of waning of the influence of |
Satsuma extraction: The great lead
ers in the navy have always come
from Safsuma province, hence the
navy power had come to be known as
SatSurGa.