Evening star., 1922-02-08
:;JAPANESElEAQER
HALLS REAL PEACE
Total Abolition Of Defense
/ Equipment Predicted by
+: ]; Toxic Premier.
RI the Associated Pre8.

By the Associated Press.
TOXIC, February s.-The agree
9mants reached at the washington
conference mark the first step toward
establishment Of a "real and lasting
peace" with the possibility of aboli-
tion Of armament. Premier Baron
Takahashi told the house of peers
yesterday.
The imperia government does not
pretend that the conference was an
unqualified success. as viewed from
an individual standpoint" he said. IT
does believe with the other powers
that the present agreements are the
first step toward realisation OF real
and lasting, peace and that s0ch
agreements will grow In the tuture
even into an understanding Tor the
total abolition OF defense equip
The premier's utterance came in
reply to an Interpolation by Baron
Toshiatsu Sakamote. Announcement
of the final ADJOURNMENT OF the
Washington conference reacned tne
was speaking, and his words might
have been In response. In the FORM OF
. speech OF congratulation.
Criticises Naval Basis.
Baron Sakamoto, the first speaker OF
the days session, characterized tne
Hughes proposals for standard iimita-
tion of navies fagrantly improper, since
individual nations geographical post
tions. and calculated naval strength on
the wrong basis.
He criticised also the Pacific fortifl-
cations agreement, and regretted omis-
sion Of any restriction on airplanes. He
further declared that in his opinion use
Of airpiane carriers was unfair. baron
Sakanoto Is vice admiral. and dis"
tinsuished himself in the Chino Japan
ese war.
To these arguments the premier re-
.By no means was it with the view
to copsummating national defense that
the treaties were enacted. but to mini
mize the possibilities Of warfare IN the
future and insure national develop"
ment along more peaceful and prooac-
tive lines"
Foreign Minister Uchida followed.
giving assurances regarding evacuation
of Siberia by Japanese troops when the
pleted and the safety OF Japanese ma
tionals assured.
The Washington conference falling
on the eve Of the diet session. the
opposition parties have been utiliz-
ing whatever was done at Washing
ton with the consent OF the Japanese
as the subject for criticism. Their in
tention had been apparent from the
outset Of the conference.
Tho premier and his ministers seem
to have been able to meet the crfti-
cism OF the acts of the Japanese dele
gates without trouble. and neither the
opposition in the diet nor the oppos-
ing press has been able to arouse
notable antagonism to the accomplish
ments of the conference or to create
the desired impression that Japan had
lost prestige at Washington.
Opposition Held IneRective.
Cabinet members and leaders Of the
controlling party appear not even to
have taken the criticisms seriously,
and the diet has been occupied with
the questions Of suffrage and the pro-
posed reduction in the army. At no
time have questions relating to the
conference been foremost in the dis
cussions.
In commercial circles, so far as can
be observed, only intense satisfaction
at the results achieved in Washing
cessation Of the boycotts and propa-
ganda in China and lesssning Of the
antagonism toward the United States,
the commercial world has opportuni-
ties hitherto undreamed of for COM
mercial and industrial development.
access to raw materials and improved
trade relations.
The consensus Of opinion In both
social and industrial circles IL that
the ten-year naval holiday will prove
a decade of peace and prosperity for
CALLED LESSON TO FRANCE.