Evening star., 1934-07-22

TtSitiuG the U0ifed STATES presents
here character sketch OF his init
mate friend, the neiC premier o.
Japan.
NEW YORK Admiral KeiSuke
Okada. who has been called from re-
tirement to become premier of Japan
after twice being minister of the
navy. did not leap to public favor.
He grew to II slowly Long years OF
training brought his mind and char
acter to the point where at the hour
of his country's need. he could be-
come the man OF the hour.
Perhaps a perfect illustration Of
the admirals character can be found
in his approach to the 1885 Naval
Conference. on which so many trou-
bled questions hinge The new pre-
mier believes Japan needs and should
have an increased ratio; he Is firmly
convinced peace lies in the direction
of armed security. but he has. TO
superlative degree, the ability 10 take
the longest and safest way around.
Discusses Many Topics.
The admiral Is a short chunky,
EuuQH-IaCRu nlAl OF o.. IN III eve
ming at his home over cups OF sake
Crice wine) you may be asked 10
enjoy conversation which embraces a
range Of civilized activity unusual in
a man who is always so busy. There
may. perhaps, be an animated In
dictment of n new aStrophySical the
ory. Then the talk will fly suddenly
TO the world OF art and literature.
and soon you will find yourself lis
tening to a choice discourse on botany.
The premier has an eager mind which
races out to everything. and / re-
member once such an evening wound
up with interesting information on
the best means OF catching moles.
He favored bamboo pole. he said.
closed at one end The pole was
showed into the hole and the mole
ran into IT, He quickly upended
the pole and there the mole was.
quite simply
known him. l have never seen him
ruffied or i'll at ease Those were
troubled years. during which his wife
died and his country swung into grave
perils Though he must have been
bitingly lonely and though. as min
lister of the navy, he stood four
square where the shooting was heav-
lest, IL was impossible TO tell what
was going on inside him from look
ing at him. In the most sorely trying
moments. he spoke slowly and softly,
like wine pouring. His spiritual
barometer is sheet-anchored in the
temperate zone.
VIII Serve As Anchor.
He will serve now. I think. as an
anchor for Japan, or. to use a more
local metaphor, as suspended center
post. These center posts have kept
pagodas intact for hundreds Of years
through storms and earthquakes. They
do not rest on the foundations, but
swing with the building and always
put 1t back to the center.
Through his career as a man sum-
moned from the naval to the State
arena, the premier has swung now
with one political party threatening
to bring down the social order and
now with the other, but always in
an effort to bring them back on
center. Present-day Japan has des-
perate need Of such balance post,
when social and economic unrest are
national structure.
II Is safe TO say that Admiral
Okada will approach ell interna-
tional questions in general, and those
involving America in particular, with
a calm and reflective mind. He will
make 1t point, In his thoroughgoing
way to be fully posted as TO the Just
claims and views of other countries.
for he is singularly fair and open
minded.
have not, OF course, seen the
admiral since he rose TO the pre-
miership But one evening, while he
was still minister of the navy, he
told me he regarded Viscount Saito,
now his predecessor, as the one above
all who could stabilize Japan II he
had the opportunity.
1t was his opinion that the Saito
cabinet, which has just resigned en-
bloc, leaped into being at the wink
of an eye to choke of the stress
following the assassination of Pre-
mier Inukai, and showed its hasty
inception.
II" he said "the cabinet is handed
over to some one else, 1t would not
be for long. Viscount Saito would
be called upon again and this time
he would have opportunity to pre-
pare a cabinet which would help
instead of hinder him.
Perhaps then, if Admiral Okeda
steps down from the premiership
while Japan's political parties are
still in disrepute, his old and re-
spected friend Viscount Saito will sue
ceed him.
tCopyright. 1894 by the North American
Newspaper Alliance Inc
DENnXTTzE