The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-03-16
JAPAN MAY ASK
NAVY STRONG AS
us. AND BRITAIN
Far Eastern Nations Press
Comments on Coolidge
Limitation Move.
BY William Philip Simms

DIV w Il imp
Staff Correspondent, Scripps-Howard News
papers
WASHINGTON, March 16.-At
President Coolidges Geneva arms
navy equal In strength to Britain's
conference Japan may insist upon a
and Americas, according to private
advices just received here.
Almost certainly, / am informed,
Japan will start the parley by re-
fusing to agree to any bound rule
limiting the tonnage of her cruisers
and other auxiliary craft to the
Washington conference of $50, in
sisting instead upon a ratio of 5-5-5.
'Does President Coolidge really
think that Japan will assent to the
5.5-3 ratio as regards the subsidiary
craft of America, Britain or JAPAN"
the independent Kokumin of Toxic,
asks.
IF capital ships, cruisers, destroy
ers and submarines already were
each and all limited to the uniform
ratio of $685." the paper goes on to
say, 1.-The national defense Of Japan
would become practically, Of not alb
solutely, nominal. Japan might as
well scrap her navy altogether and
submit to Britain and America as
accept such a proposal"
Charges Insult
eff Japan, who was automatically
insulted at the first disarmament
conference, is to join in the second"
the Yorozu Choho, another independ-
ent newspaper of Toxic, agrees, "she
should be resolved to make the most
of the opportunity for avenging her
previous humiliation.
1--WE have seen enough of what
Americas humanity is like" it con-
tinues. 1--WE have seen it in her
anti-Japanese immigration law
that was put into force in 1925.
ut is thing we can never APP
prove For this reason, what japan
should resolutely insist on at the
second disarmament conference is
that she should be placed on par
with the United States and Great
Britain, that is, 5-5-5 ratio between
the navies of Japan, Britain and
America"
Japan, in whose eyes America is
a hypothetical enemy, can never
agree to accept the 5-5-3 ratio in re-
spect to subsidiary vessels" choruses
the nationalistic Tomato.
Political Base
Nor is it sound to regard
disarmament conference simply in
the light of technical conference.
1t is more of political than a.
technical conference. Any in
sisrence on the 5.5-3 ratio as an I'M
changeable iron rule will only push
the world into the dark chaotic
current instead Of guiding it on the
path to peace. Armaments are mere
implements. Something else makes
them work" -
What makes them work? Bad
feeling between peoples. Which
thought is obviously in the mind of
the Osaka "Mainichi," when com.
menting upon President Coolidge's
invitation to Geneva.
Can America expect Japan as
frankly and as heartily to enter into
such question as limitation Of
ornaments as other powers may?"
it asks. mo, it answers. Follow
ing the great earthquake, when
Japan was in an exhausted condition
as a result Of the terrible visitation,
America inflicted a serious humilita-
IN no of NJ
tional law.
despite the warning given by Mr..
Hanihara Japanese ambassador to
Washington at that time) that the
passage Of the act would bring about
grave consequences, Congress
passed it in defiance Of the pride of
the Japanese people and the Presi-
dent sanctioned it thereby branding
the Japanese as an inferior people.
Self-Deception
This was an unbearable insult
=. This being SO, in asking
for Japan's cooperation in arrang-
ing limitation of arma-
ments, America is only deceiving
herself and forcing hypocrisy on
Japan"
Such is the general tone of the
Japanese press, with only a world
of praise here and there and these
tempered with pessimistic doubts.
In other quarters there is sus-
picion that the United States and
Great Britain aim at the domina-
ton Of the Pacific, the former con-
centrating the bulk Of it's naval
might around Hawaii, while Bri-'
tain spends s50,O0O,0O0 construct
ing a new Gibraltar at Singapore,
to make her impregnable in the Far
East. Japan is, warned to watch
out for this combination.