The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-03-30

right is acknowledged, I am in
formed. she may agree of her owr
free will not to avail herself Of it.
While Tokio's naval policy has
not been announced. the above rep
resents the views of high naval
military and civil officials who viii
help formulate that policy.
Prefers Death to shame"
Japan today is in the position oil
a first-class power attempting tc
maintain her place in the world on
the resources of a third-class power
Unless she can acquire additional
resources, she must eventually step
down to the lower rung.
That she will do this voluntarily
is out of the question. She will in
Vite humiliation first. She will
either get the new deal" or Asia
will again be turned crimson.
Japan, in her program of expan-
sion, has reached midstream only
The water about her is swift and
deep She must push on to the
other shore, or turn back.
Manchuria and Jehol are too
much or too little territory for her
needs-toO much because it will in
evitably invite a counter attack from
Russia and China, too little because
it lacks sufficient of those vital re-
sources which a vast empire must
have
Seeks Trade Leadership
Maintaining one of the worlds
biggest armies, 100000 electives,
and demanding a navy second
to none, Japan also is making a
supreme bid for world trade lead
ership. This colossal program re-
quires vast reserves, in peace or
war, of steel, oil, coal, rubber,
cotton, sugar, various chemicals
and metals. none of which is found
in sufficient quantity in her new
domain.
Without oil, modern armies and
navies are practically helpless.
Japan occupies twelfth place in oil
production after the United States,
and eleventh after Soviet Russia.
The United States produces
845, 100000, Russia 16O,O0O,O0O, and
Japan 100000 barrels annually.
Even counting the oil she gets
from the northern half of the
island of Sakhalin-leased from
Russia and indispensable in time
of war-Japan produces only a
fourth of her peacetime needs.
Manchuria has no known free oil.
There is plenty shale, but its oil
content is low.
Coal, Iron Quest Futile
Japan had hoped to find a supply
of iron and coking coal in the new
territory. but again seems doomed
to disappointment. The ore is of
poor quality and she still imports
nine tons for every one she pro-
duces.
The story Of rubber, cotton and
other essential materials is more
diScouraging still.
Japan's grandiose dream of en-
pire is based upon her scheme to
become another Great Britain. turn
ing raw materials into finished prod
uctS and shipping them to the four
corners of the earth in Japanese
bottoms.
But once more she seems to
have arrived on the scene a little
too late, though for the moment her
foreign trade is booming. Even
Britain is regarded as having long
since passed her peak in this line
of business and today is facing a
reorientation of her national econ
omy.
Builds House on Sand
Japan, therefore. seems to be
building, at least partly, on sand
The conditions which made Eng
land are doubtless gone forever.
And clouds are already darken-
ing the Japanese trade horizon. At
this writing twenty-seven countries
are taking steps to curtal Japanese
imports.
With emigration and exports both
checked, Japan almost certainly will
seek to carve out still bigger en-
pire for herself. Within its borders
she will endeavor to find. not only
the raw materials necessary, but
subject population to absorb her
surplus goods
1t is either that or return to the
status of a hungry little island
teeming with people and racked with
poverty.