Evening star., 1933-09-24

to Asia" back from Occidental
political formula to the imperial,
way" and to walk and prosper in the
way of the gods" This is what is
called japanese "Fascism the
term is not so inappropriate as many
think it. 1t certainly is not. in It's
origins, a movement in nllmlcry OF
Italian or German Fascism. 1t simply
happens, by coincidence, to have so
much in common with these European
models. both in its inspiration and its
objectives, that the japanese journal
lists have recognized its affinity with
these models and have called 1t
FasciSm.'
The world has long since been made
familiar with-and pretty weary of
the manifestations of Japan's Fascist"
spirit in foreign policy. These, to date,
have been Aggression in China, in de-
fiance of the peace covenants and of
world opinion; the recognition of Man
Chukuo, in violation of the nine-poWer
treaty; rejection of the Leagues recon-
mendations ana Withdrawals from that
body; the gestures of warning to Soviet
Russia that her opposition to Japan'S
expansion on the mainland will mean
war.
To give emphasis to all this Japan is
appropriating sums out of all proper
ton to her revenues and resources to
build up a thoroughly mechanical land
force and a navy second to none. with
which to maintain her lone-wolf policy
in Eastern Asia and the Pacific.
Interesting and sometimes disturbing
as these evidences of a changed spirit
~ N
more interesting than the less frequent
and less highly public:zed displays of
the same spirit in domestic affairs.
Just recently Gen. Araki. minister
OF war and the frankest spokesman
for the reactionary elements in Japan,
has given the world an insight into
Japanese "FascismS" attitude toward
internal politics and an excuse for go
ing deeper into the subject. 1t is in
this field that we discover that the
spirit manifest in foreign policy is not
just old-fashioned. truculent imperial
ism, but is all bound up with domes-
tic revolution that is essentially and
truly Fascist in character.
Political Parties Warned.
For several weeks past Gen. Araki
has been giving less and less subtle
warning to the major political parties
in Japan-the Seiyukai. Minseito and
their existence. and
with them the existence of party gov
ernment, the representative system and
the constitution itself, is being weighed
in the balance. If they show any dis
position to quibble with the army and
year, they will be summarily abolished.
They will be replaced by single party
supporting a dictator's cabinet. respon-
sible to the Emperor and not to the
electorate.
Now this high and mighty attitude
towar the political parties, which
represents most of the wealth and
nearly all of the intelligence of japan,
is one that Gen. Araki and his COL
leagues have not assumed since the
early Spring of 1852. They have been
content to get away with control of
foreign policy in intervening period
and to let certain amount of LIBERAL
i'm reassert itself in domestic affairs.
The fresh revolt against the parlia-
mentary system dates from the trials
of the late Premier Inukais assassins
and the publication of the facts about
the Blood Brotherhood League and
other reactionary bodies which en-
gineered the killing Of a premier and
many other outrages in the first months
of 1892.
Slayers Upheld by Masses.
AS all the correspondents have borne
witness, the government and the press
were taken completely by surprise by
the popular response to the testimony
of the assassins and to other evidence
of anti-constitutional conspiracy that
was made public during the latter part
of July and the early part CT August.
The killers, bombers and conspirators
against the constitution were given an
opportunity to explain through the
courts and the press their motives as
revolutionaries. While admitting re-
luctantly that some of these motives
were patriotic and that political condl-
tions had justified the resentment, con-
servative japanese journals unanimous
" condemned the aSsaSsins and con-
spirators as m sguided simpletons, or
as singularly cold-blooded criminals.
Not so the great mass OF the Japanese
people. They surged forward with al
most unanimous approval OF the pr1n,,
ciples which the assaSsins advertised
the principles of Japanese "FasciSm,
and it is on the strength of this popu-
lar demonstration that Gen. Arakl has
again come out as The high apostle OF
that cult.
Before reviewing the declarations OF
doctrine that came out in these trials
and the light that government lnvestl-
cations have lately thrown on the OBJ
jective of JapanS reactionary societies,
we must have very brief and super
fetal review of the background.
Government Is Overthrow.
The military operations in Man
chlria that began in September, 1881,
were not only so suddenly and swiftly
rushed through to a complete japanese
occupation, but were so contrary 10
the policy of the Minseito party. in
which Baron Shidchara was the d0ml-
mating figure. that they were obviously
in accord with the cut and DRIED plans
of a clique The efforts which the
Minseito government made to call this
CLIQUE to account and to abloe py
treaty and convention in the ADJUST
ment cf the Manchurian muddle re-
suited in that government oVerthro"
in December 1881.
Inc Selyukdl pdl W. ilolC Noii'NA -, -
tive and on better terms with the mill
tary, attempted to carry on with a
cabinet formed by its leader, Mr.
Inukai. This government also at
tempted, however, to represent the in
terests of the bankers, industrialists,
overseas trades intellectuals and lib
erals by maintaining concliatory at.
titude toward the critical League o1
Nations and the still more critical Col
Stimson. American Secretary of State
This effort to stand between the junior
militarists and their reartlonary So
cieties, which they were fostering fol
direct action. and world opinion. begar
to cost the Seiyuksi lives IN February
1882. The finance minister. Mr. Jun,
rosuke Inouye, was the first killed
Then came Baron Takuma Dan, banker
and industrialist of the Mitsui flrm
Then came Premier. Inukai's turn, OF
that day of badly co-ordinated Fascist
endeavor when so many DESTRUCTIVE
projects failed.
Nearly Blew Out Its Fuse.