The Washington herald., 1922-07-25
60. l..If
TOKYO bHLITARlSTS
RESIST REDUCTION
|OF LAND FORCES
Minister Of War Says
| Army Cannot Be Cur
tailed Safely.
NAVY PLAN STANDS
Efforts Being Made TO Obtain
Foreign Orders to,Keep
Arsenals Busy.
NAVY PLAN STANDS

TOKYO. July 24.--Japan's miiitar-
lists are dying hsrd. Her navy men
have been forced to bow to the
opinion Of the world and have
resigned themselves to the loss Of
a portion of the existing navy
and to severe cuts in the con-
struction program of the next ten
years, but her army men are de-
termined to resist to the last ditch
any serious curtailment In land arma-
ments. Admiral Baron Kato. minister
Of the navy, with a statesmanship
that recognizes not only the universal
yearning for peace but also Japan's
economic inability to carry on any
ambitious naval program. has led the
nation into an eager acceptance of
the naval holiday agreement. General
Yamanashi, minister of war. on the
other hand, almost angrily re,suss ..,e
suggestions from home and abroad
that Japan'S army can with safety
be materially reduced. and he stands
today as the leader of the military
reactionists.
The minister of war, who expressed
his and the general staff's readiness
to fall in with some reasonable plan
for army reduction at the time of the
convening of the diet. when the ma
ton was enthusiastically receiving the
reports of the Washington conference,
now announces that the war DEPART
ment. after having carefully gone into
the whole question, finds that 1t Is
possible to cut the conscript term with
the colors from two years to twenty
three months. this in response to the
general desira that II be reduced to
one year and four months and to the
insistence of the leader of the Kok-
umnito party, one Of the opposition
factions. that a year with the colors
should be sufficient to give the con-
scripts all the necessary training
called for at this time.
Delay Bill to Cut Army.
General Yamanashi sums up the
army attitude in saying: Those
who do not know about the army
should keep quiet and not attempt
to meddle." while a very persistent
campaign is being carried on in a
portion of the press to demonstrate
that those who advocate army re-
duction are lacking in honest pa
triotism. In the last session of the
diet a bill was introduced to pro-
vide for a reorganization and a re-
duction in the army, at a saving
of 100000 yen in the estimates
and a reduction of the service term
T. oi ~
went over, pending the ratification
of the various Washington agree
ments and treaties by the powers
concerned. and the militarists are
taking advantage of the delay to
turn public sentiment away from its
armament reduction desires.
Nothing definite is known as to
the reorganization scheme being
worked out by the general staff.
but ii Is intimated that there will
be no such a saving as originally
proposed. One publication states
that the plan is to reduce the army
personnel by $4,000 officers and men
and to cut the budget 100000 yen.
which is just half the originally
planned cut. There has already
been a considerable reduction in the
number of men employed in the
military arsenals in Tokyo and
Osaka, with further reductions
foreshadowed. The rifle output of
these arsenals up until a short time
ago was 1900 a day. with 80 per
cent of the machinery idle. The
branch arsenal at Oil. near Tokyo.
has recently notified 5000 employees
to seek work elsewhere, and labor
which has been used in fertilization
construction Is being dispensed
with.
Arsenal Plants Slack.
The war office is dismissing these
men very reluctantly, largely on ac-
count of the fact that there is a.
ready a large number of unem-
ployed in Japan and the Immediate
future Of the dismissed arsena,
workers is not bright. Efforts are
being made to secure foreign or
ders to keep the arsenal busy and
Capt. Kawakami, an expert of the
rifle manufacturing department.
and Mr.. Maxine, chief of the erec-
tion department of the arsenals. are
now in Siam. after orders for small
arms for the Siamese army. A good
business could be done with China
were that not impossible under in
ternational agreement.
There has been no official an
nouncement of the scrapping plans
of the navy, nor is there likely to
be one until the naval holiday
treaty is ratified in Paris and Lon-
don. Japan Is not expected to rat
ify the treaty until last. but there
Is no idea here that there will be
any hitch in the ratiacations. now
that America has given approval
through the Senate. Definite infor-
nation Is refused at the navy de-
partment, except to say that the
minister of the navy Is determined
that at least some ships are to be
destroyed in gunnery. air bombing
and torpedoing tests.
Navy Awaits Ratification.
The navy is not waiting for rati-
fication altogether, however, but has
already taken steps to release 4u,-
900 of the men called up for serv-
ice during 1919 and 1920. whose
terms have not as yet expired. while
the number of employees at the
various naval stations and dock
yards Is being reduced steadily.
Under an imperial decree, issued a
week ago, men whose terms of
service would ordinarily expire on
November 80, 1928, are to be dis
missed on November 80 of this
year. while those whose terms ex-