Evening star., 1921-11-14
TAKAHASHt ENEMY
Of MILITARY GROUP
of Japanese Army
: Program Predicted Under
New Premier.
BY JUNIUS b. WOOD.

Whatever uncertainty may exist
about the future policies of Viscount
Korekiyo Takahashi, new premier of
Japan, there is no doubt that ne Is
an ayowed anti-militarist. He has
spoken right out in meeting on that
without even waiting until his name
was called. Recently after life OF
steady plodding had esconsed him
snugly in a berth of inaccessible Of
icialdom, he threw his entire career
into the stake against the military
party. Strangely enough President
Harding's invitation for the present
conference provoked the viscounts
outburst and as result Of 1T the
ranld rolls of the dice OF fate hnds
him in four months tn the highest ap.
poirtive Office in the island empire.
1t was a quick climax to prosalc Life
of sixty-seven years.
Cireslates Panphtet on views.
when Japan, as we'll as other ma
tions. were hesitating; over the tenor
Of the invitatton, Viscount Takahashi
,-"Taka" meaning high. 'hashi"
meaning bridge. hence highbridge-
then minister. of finance, had printed
and circulated what he was pleased
to call a private memorandum of his
views. Such documents which are
seen by everybody worth while and
not seen by those who depend upon
the newspapers for their information
are a feature of Japan. However. the
Tokyo Nichi Nichi, which had received
one of the pamphlets for the advice of
its editors, decided to take its Id
f,fo
After that it was only theoretically
private and the viscount stood out
like the Washington Monument in a
gested that the honorary orders of
the Rising Sun. Flying Kites and
other ascending grades be exchanged
for the ribbonless one of the Rising
Root. They demanded that the quiet
minister of finance be noisily retired
Premier Hara steered his compatriot
out of the storm and now another
change of destiny which that wise
statesman could not foresee has made
viscount Takahashi premier.
Blames Army Stan.
In the memorandum which Viscount
Takahashi circulated among his
friends, he contended at length that
all the mistakes Of policy and mis-
understandings in which Japan was
involved with other nations were due
to the army general staff. He in
sisted that Germany's- entry into and
subsequent failure in the war were
entirely due to its general staff, and
that Japan was following the same
policy. incidentally he advocated de-
hn ffrr do inf1 fhA f~A fr
now expending upon armament to
educational purposes and the CONSOLE
dation of the ministries of education
and home affairs on the grounds of
economy and more eff1cient admins
tratfon. The latter policies did not
tread on as many touchy military
toes.
To grasp the radical trend of the
proposal, 1t must be realized that in
Japan's complicated governmental or
ganization the army general staff is
though there is high ranking army
officer as minister Of war. but directly
to the emperor. The ministry may
decide on one foreign policy. but the
general staff. confident in the belief
that it is beneath the dignity Of Off
GERS responsible only to the emperor
carries out its own policy. This is
strikingly illustrated by the Japanese
expedition around Vladivostok which
the ministry has several times decided
to withdraw, the general stan has had
other plans and the troops remain.
Lived in Peaceful Environment.
The new premier's life has been in
an environment Of peace and the con-
servatism of finance. He came to the
| United States in 1867, to complete his
study Of English. A year later he re-
turned and for thirteen years taught
English in various public and exclu-
siye clan schools. In 1881, he became
an Official Of the department Of agri-
culture and commerce. being head OF
the patent bureau when he retired in
1890. He went to Peru for an un-
fortunate venture in silver mining,
returning to enter, the Bank Of Japan.
He advanced to president Of that gov
ernment institution, also. was presi-
; dent Of the Yokohama Specie Bank,
resigning from the former to become
minister Of finance in the Yamamoto
cabinet Of 1913. He resigned from
that ministry but returned to accept
| the same portfolio in the Hara cab
lfnet In 1907 the emperor created him
q baron and in 1920 a viscount.
The new premier is not q party
C0nHnued. On Fourth FaEe.l
3ss