Evening star., 1923-09-16

-
far as the qualifications of its
individual members are con-
| cerned is that formed under the
premiership of Admiral Count Gombei
! Yamamoto, while Toxic was burning
| Dramatic as We're its formation and
formal induction into office. it's career
| during the next few months promises
| to be equally dramatic and tempestu-
Gus.
! No less than five of its members are
-prime ministerial timber. in fact,
have in various cabinet crises of the
past been mentioned as likely to sue
ceed to the highest post in the civil
( government OF the empire. But none
! of them is even remotely identified
with tho Seiyukai, the political party
| that has the substantial majority of
! ninety-six votes in the lower house
of the imperial Diet.
! Therein lies its weakness and it's
/ danger. The composition of the new
| cabinet leads to the belief that not
only has the Seiyukai been ignored.
! but that the personnel of the new
! portfolio holders is an open chal-
| lenge that the majority party can
scarcely afford to ignore.
Truce In Disaster.
! The catastrophe under which Japan
is now suffering will undoubtedly
| cause internal politics to sink below
the surface for the time being and all
! elements in the empire may be ex-
| pected to unite in restoring order and
| beginning the climb back TO economic
/ prosperity. Three or four months.
/ however, will permit this first ar
! tificial unification of political enemies
1 to dissolve, and by the time the diet
| couVcneS in late December the Seiyu-
I llai may be expected to line up in
| solid pholanX against the executive
| branch of the government. Only a
! dissolution of the diet by imperial
| resCript and the calling Of a new
i election will permit Count Nama-
1 moto's ministry to continue in power
| in such an event, and the strength of
| the Seiyukai throughout Japan would
! probably return q new diet still
! dominated by that party.
Count Yamamoto has gathered
! under his banner number of eN-
| ceptionally able and strong bureau
| Gratis. semi-bureaucrats and members
of minor political parties antagonistic
| to the Seiyukai. Three men who
/ were offered portofolios declined.
/ Eiscount Takashira Kato. loader of
the major opposition party, the Ken
! seikai. member OF the house of peers
and minister of foreign affairs at the
time of the formulation and presen-
! tation of the "twenty-one demands, "
refused to join the new premier In his
league against the Seiyukai.
kato Strong IN Japan.
Despite the handicap under which
he Iabors because of his former China
policy. Eiscount kato is one of the
strong men of Japan. Admiral Baron
Minoru Saito, governor general of
Korea, has also declined. Baron
Saito. however, can be counted on to
support the new premier. for he is a
iprotege of the strong feudal clan OF
Satsuma and has consistently worked
/ with Count Yamamoto in tho past
Viscount Nobuaki Maxine, minister
of the imperial household and holder
; at various times in the past of the
portfolios of agriculture and com
mercc, education and foreign affairs
is the third member of what might
be called the trio of STRONG brains
who is not Il member of the now
cabinet.
VtSCount Makiuo's connection with
the imperial family. however, is suffi-
cient to remove him from politics
so that Viscount Kato looms as thc
only potential enemy of any strength
outside the Seiyukai. and 1t is prob
able that he will work in unison with
the premier against the majority
party.
, Count Yomamoto himself, nav1
man and former premier, is Of strong
personal character and considerabl.
, influence. His position as a leader. i
not the unofficial head. of the sat
suma clan and its adherents give:
him greet power aside from tina
which comes naturally TO any one a
: the head of the government.
Cote influential Man.
Viscount Shimpci Goto is probahl.
the most influential man in the new
cabinet. Although he was at on
time rather closely identified with tn,
, Seiyukai. his party connections wer,
severed a number of years ago. Edu
5 Gated in Germany to be a physician
/, he has held varied and importan
political posts for the past TIVE
: decades. Civil governor of Formosa
: president of the South Manchuri;
,, , railways and minister of communica
tions in succession. he retired from
r the latter post in 1911, only to be re
/ appointed with the additional offic'
r Of president of the smperial govern
ment railways year later.
| Leaving the portfolio of home af
fairs to assume that of foreign
: affairs about two years after Japal
J had entered the world war; he rouset
E a storm of criticism. 1t was felt tina
| q physician should not be entrusted
with the foreign policy of the nation
The belief that he was rather pro
iGerman made him Objectionable t
certain of Japan's illness, but ther
was nothing that they could do il
r the matter. He was not given pos
: in the late Premier Takhashi Hara'
4 cabinet, but was appointed mayor 0
Toxic in 192e, an office which he re
signed only last spring.
May Aid Foreign Policy.
: He holds the portfolio of home al
= fairs in the newly formed ministry
; a post of exceptional Importance il
: the reorganization and rehabilitation
THAT will necessarily follow the earth
! | quake and fire that laid large sec
, ton of the nation in ruins. Sine
+. Count Yamamoto has not named
minister of foreign affairs, but ha
temporarily kept that portfolio him
I self concurrently with the premier
: ship. Viscount Goto's advice and in
fiuence on the foreign policy of Japal
will be great.
1t is known he favors the recogni
/ | tion of soviet Russia at an early date
Y , having been working to that end 70
S many months past. The old cry o
' / his being pro-German and, as a con
= sequence. somewhat anti English an
s anti American, may be expected t
r be heard again. But times hav
S changed greatly since 1915. German,
t has definitely lost the war, although
seven years ago Japan was not a
G ! all certain that she would.
: Viscount Goto is unquestionably a
. ahle administrator, somewhat libera