New Britain herald., 1916-02-02
DREADNOUGHT BASIC
 UNIT OF NAVIES
Japanese Minister Asserts Out
 lining Naval Building Program

nought. two cruisers, one destroyer three submarines and two special ser vice ships constitute the program of naval building for Japan TOT the com ing year. Admiral Kata, minister for marine, explained the naval eX- pansion project before the budget committee of the Diet in response to an interpolation. The battleshlp Will be about the same type as the r'uso and Yamasriro, which was recently launched, and will carry twelve IA inch guns and sixteen 6-inch guns. The two cruisers will have a speed of 2S knots. They will probably be in the nature of light scout ships. Their armament has not yet been de- cided. The submarines will have displacement of seven hundred tons each, a speed of Is knots on the sur face and 10 knots in the water and will carry one gun.
 Admiral Kato expressed the Opin- ion that the war in Europe would not necesistate any considerable alteration in the naval armament of the great powers. He fully recognized he saiI, the effectiveness of aircraft and sub marines weapons of offence as der.- onstrated in the present war but re believed that these facts hardly at fected the position of the battleship as an engine of war. If the Kaisers warships dared not venture from their own sheltered waters it was because of the powerful British suuadron& 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 navieS. As for subnla- rines, however, actively they might work their activities were confined within certain limits and they could hardly be expected to place the great battleships hors de combat. The minister said that equipment was now being provided on ships against air attacks. He was confident that the dreadnought remained the basic unit of great navies.
 14-Inch Gun Principle.
 The admiral further said that in de- c1d1ng the armaments for new battle ships the naval auth critics preferred the twelve 14-inch guns principle to the eight 15-incn of the British ard German navies because they deemea 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 fu- ture. The minister's remarks brousht out the fact that Japan's eventual pro- gram includes the esta blishment of a first line fleet of eight battleships and e1ght great battle cruisers.
 Admiral Kato was asked particu larly by K. Kobayashi, a member of the committee, a. to the comparative strength of the Japanese navy and ttose of Great Britain Germany and the United States. The member also wanted to know whether the naval authorities were confident of victory :n case of war-for 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 al- ways decide the issue of a battle. He is quoted as having added. 'If the American navy invades Japan we have only to encounter it with the best tactics and art of warfare, to the .ast vessel and last man, meanwhile relying on the dignity of the august
 
 sixty millions nation This is the de- cision of our navy in such an eventu- ality."
 Changes in Navy.
 Simultaneous with the opening of the Diet has come a sweeping change in the personnel of the navy. Els pecally noteworthy is the appoint
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 1.1inister of the navy, to be com n,ander-in-c chief of the second suua- Gron; Vice Admiral Nawa as com mander-in-c chief of Maizuru naval station; Vice Admiral Murakami as comma nder-in- chief of the third squadron; Vice Admiral Yanava, who commanded the Japanese squadron to the southern isles during the war operations last year, as vice chief of the naval board of commando and the transfer of Vice Admiral Takarabe from commander-ship of the third squadron to the command of the secondary naval station at Port Arthur.
 Since resigning as minister of marine, Vice Admiral Yashiro who won the applause of the public as leader of the navy cleansing in con- ncction with the naval scandal of last year has been leading secluded life in a suburb of Kioto devoting himself to the study of Buddhistic philosophy His appointment to the new post to- gether with his restoration to active service has attracted much approval The changes are generally re- Sarded in Tokio as indicating a com | mencement of waning of the influence of men of Satsumo extra ction. The great leaders in the navy have always come from Satsuma province, hence the navy power had come to be EnOWn SafSun1a