The New York herald., 1921-12-02
TOkiO's Course Alternating
British Nations From
Their Present Ally.
PERSPECTIVE DISTORTED
Far Sighted Moderation Essen
tial to Success Of Mikado's
Representatives.
BY wICKHAM sTEEp.
Editor Of TIC London Times.

Editor Of the London Timca.
(CopW79ht 1921, 6D United Ne1cs. }
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-The time has
come to speak with the utmost frank
ness The Japanese delegation insists
upon the allotment to Japan of 70 pei
cent Of the American or British cant
tai ship strength. In the unanimous
OPINION of the American and British
naval authorities this demand Is no.
Warranted 1t is justified neither by
the present nor the prospective
strength of the japanese navy. There
fore Japanese insistence raises the
question of the ulterior political inten-
tions of Japan.
Does Japan desire to Increase her
relative naval strength for the pur-
pose OF perpetuating and completing
the policy of disintegration and en-
croachment upon China, which, as
japanese opponents of that policy
truthfully aver. she has deliberately
followed during the last decade?
oversteps Anslo-Japan Treaty.
Profiting by the concentration OF
British attention upon European af.
fairs and by British absorption in the
war. she has acted contrary to the letter
and spirit of the Anglo-Japanese al
lance, just as she has used her position
as successor to Germany in Shantung to
overstep the legitimate implications of
that position. II now she demands an
undue ratio of naval strength and at.
tempts to employ the complexities of the
Shantung question as lever to extract
American and British assent to harder
bargain than any they can righteously
agree to- she inevitably casts a doubt
upon her own sincerity and raises in an
acute form a fundamental issue.
One of the test questions of the con-
ference is the value OF Japanese profess
sions of goodwill toward China. Upon
this hinges the further question whether
the militarist. ran-Asiatic policy at
tributed--not without rea son7-to the
japanese General Staff Is or is not the
controlling influence In Japan. This
again raises a further point Whether
the japanese Government deliberately
intends to ascertain the attitude OF the
nations forming the British Empire?
Japan's Perception Havy.
II had been hoped that Japan would
long since have perceived that the adop-
tion OF any aggressive. or not clearly
unagrressive attitude on her part must
lnfallibly range the British nations
against her, alliance or no alliance.
Should she persist In her present course
she may render it expedient that the
British delegation should be instructed
to stimulate her perception.
Japan had everything to gain and
nothing to lose by pursuing throughout
the conference a policy OF far sighted
moderation While promoting the src-
cess OF the conference and adding to
her prestige as a great civilized Power,
such policy would have left her In a
position to secure every advantage IN
the Far East which she Is entitled to
claim.
For the moment, and under influences
whose nature can only be surmised. she
appears disposed TO act otherwise
Reticence at this juncture would there
fore be misplaced. lest she imagine that
her present attitude could be persisted
In without serious detriment to Anglo
Japanese relations