Evening star., 1932-11-27
JAPANESE INCREASE
IN ARMS PUzzL|NG|
Land and Sea Forces Get
About 1OO,0o0,000 Yen
More Each for 1933.34.
BIZ CONSTANTINE BROWN.

D4 NOAN0 AAN AVE- AskAS w Ave
Official quarters are puzzled as to the
reason of the enormous increase in the
Japanese budget, especially In regard
to the chapters concerning the army
and navy.
While every nation represented at
Geneva, expresses its more or less sin
cerc desire to reduce arms and arma-
mentS, Japan, which Is admittedly in a
difficult financial situation. has chosen
this year of goodwill conferences" to
increase its army budget for the year
1933-1934 by close to 100,000,000 yen
and an approximately similar amount
for the navy, both services costing that
country close to billion yen.
These sums translated into dollars, at
the present low rate Of exchange of
the japanese currency, represent COM
paratiVely small amount. But it must
be remembered that in Japan the yen
has still its original purchase value,
which is not much lower than the value
OF the dollar in the United States.
Navy Increase Puzzling.
plausible explanations as to why the
budget of the amy has ben so consider
ably increased. it is difficult to figure
out the reason for this important in
crease in the budget Of the Japanese
navy department The relations be-
tween Japan and the other powers are
labeled in diplomatic language as
friendly. According to the diplomatic
dictionary, the Manchurian and the
Shanghai military expenditures are con-
s;dered as incidents" since diplomatic
relations between Japan and China
have not been broken off. According
to the same dictionary, even the battles
which occur today between Bolivia and
Paraguay are not termed actions of war.
They are called frictions. And Japan
has so far not reached even the stage
of friction" with any OF the neighbor-
ing powers.
But it seems that the military have
o different opinion from the diplomats,
and want to be fully prepared for any
friction that may occur in the course
OF the coming years. The Japanese
budget has not been passed without a
good deal of friction between the war
minister end the secretary of the
treasury. Not only did Gen. Araki want
n substantial increase in the budget OF
the war department, but he also in
sisted On forcing his point Of view as
to how the inevitable deficit should
be met. He opposed the wishes OF the
finance minister, who asked for bond
issue. and demanded new taxatlons to
te taken from the Japanese capitalists.
A compromise was reached in the end
whereby the war minister obtained his
increase-about loo,ooo,o00 yen less
than he actually demanded-and the
finance minister had his way as to how
to raise this money.
Ttsr To for $50. .000. 900 Yen,
That the war minister does not want
from the fact that in the new budget
the item material replenishment" con-
tains no less than 150,00o,000 yen,
while the expenses In Manchuria do not
exceed the sum of 10000, 900 yen.
But while it is comprehensive for
the Japanese minister Of war to be
prepared for trouble in Manchuria,
where the opposition Of the Chinese
irregulars Is giving him a good deal OF
worry, the naval preparations OF Japan
are not less than astounding. Every
power signatory of the London naval
treaty has made apparent efforts to
keep down naval expenditure. and es-
pecially new naval construction. Since
last November we have had an extended
naval construction holiday. Japan has
adhered to the naval holiday, but has
taken advantage of the clause that
vessels under construction should be
terminated.
On and above Of what Japan has
had in 1890, when the naval agree
ment was signed, that country has at
present under construction S,500-ton
cruisers, 1.6oo-ton airpiane carrier.
destroyers of l,7oo tons each and 4
submarines of O tonnage OF from ], 400
to LOO tons each. These vessels are
Ill so 10 rs per cent completed.
New Vessels Planned.
According to the latest Japanese
naval estimate, which requires an in
crease of approximately 100000 yen,
the Ja;>.nese government intends to
put on the slips the following war yes
sels: One airplane carrier, cruisers
OF $500 tons each, deStroyers of 400
tons each and submarines OF about
1000 tons each. In addition to this
force the Japanese Navy plans to or
eanize new air Squadrons.
All this expenditure Is being made
on the grounds that international rela-
tions at present do not permit the
slightest delay in replenishtng naval
hrmaments, and the minister OF finance,
well aware of this being the case, has
reluctantly agreed to give the armed
services the necessary monies, even
though the japanese national debt has
increased by 378,000,o0o yen last year
Never before, not even during the World
War has the increase Of the national
debt Of Japan reached such an impor-
tant figure.