New-York tribune., 1921-05-29
f1E CIRCUS THAT NOBILITY ENTERTAINED
Possessed of But Fpw
AirpIanes and Stin
FeUer AUidtOrs, Japd1s
Is Behind the Rest OF
the World in AUidtiOn,
but Willing toCatch Up

rnent of the shipbuilding yard from the Kobe
plant. And this new plant is to devote itself
largely to the manufacture Of airplane engines.
As for the Kawasaki dockyard its president,
Mr.. Matsukata, has just passed through New
York on his way to Europe. He had already
dispatched Lieutenant Hioki to France to ex-
anime carefully what that country has done
since the war in the construction Of airplanes.
And on the present trip Mr.. Matsukata is to
devote himself entirely to the study and pur-
chase of machinery and material necessary for
the building of aerial engines and planes. Both
the army and the navy of Japan are heavily
interested in the activities of the two COM
panies as far as their aircraft departments are
concerned, for both of them are to build scouts
and bombers and other type of aerial craft
for the government.
In addition to the lack of machines and
shops to build them, Japan suffers from the
lack Of flyers, has already been indicated.
The future is not altogether black in this re-
spect, however. There are a few definite
promises of a better day to come. The Mill
tary Aviation School has been training sixteen
civilian cadets, six of whom were intrusted
to it by the Imperial Aviation Association OF
Japan. The navy has not, however, admitted
any of the civilian students into its flying
school until recently. But according to re-
cent report new ruling on this point will be
put into practice The lack of naval flyers
has been popular target Of naval critics of
Japan for some time past, and the sea lords of
Japan feel 1t quite as keenIy as any wordy
outside cr1tlc-ininitely more SO, in fact. In
November Of 1920 an interesting thing hap
pcned to the naval aviation of Japan. Ir
that month Prince Takehiko of Yamashina. a
member Of the royal family, joined the avia-
ton corps at the naval base at Yokosuka. He
IS the first prince of the blood to take up
aviation since the foundation of the empire.
ard this incident is attracting great deal OF
interest. His connection seems almost to
crest the profession with patent of nobility
IN the eyes of the younger generation of
navy officers, and flying may yet be made one
of the most aristocratic (as we'll as expensivel
sports Of the people of Nippon
Perhaps the two most epochaI events in +ba
AA"S'OAS VI 6Fi9IAOH III Japan were t1) the dis
patch OF the Japanese aeronautical mission TO
the Italian front in August of 1918 The mis-
sion returned to Japan in the summer of the
following year. The actual wartime expert
ences which the members of this mission en-
Joyed with the crack Italian flyers proved val
liable and abiding Then (2) early in 1919
sixty airmen of the French army, headed by
Colonel Faure, visited Japan for the purpose
of lnstructing the japanese flyers. And the
contribution of these French flyers to the de-
velopment of aviation in Japan will always be
remembered as among the most important gifts
we have received from abroad. After all,
however, the most picturesque things the Jap
anese eyes have seen performed among the
clouds came from American visitors The
young flyer Smith, who visited US in 1916,
made tremendous impression on the popular
mind of the japanese by his spectacular stunts
in the air. 1t was he who opened the eyes Of
Japan to the realization of the state Of our
aviation. And now the recent visit of the
Flying Circus from Los Angeles is likely to
put another white stone in the air lane up
which Japan is slowly but steaG;ly toiling.