Evening star., 1936-11-13
Cerman.Japanese Alliance?

Evidently the RusSo-Japanese accord
granting Japan fishery and oil rights,
respectively, in Siberian waters and
Sakhalin, has not prevented her from
casting an anchor to windward respect
ing the empires more far flung interests,
In any event, Toxic is now reverberating
with circumstantial reports Of German
Japanese alliance in the form of a mu.
tual assistance pact, whereby the two
countries would establish q common
front against the Communist menace"
of which each necessarily claims to be
in deadly peril. The reports are based
on newspaper statements that the Toxic
government will shortly submit "an i'm
portant diplomatic matter" to the Privy
Council, which is charged with ratifica-
tion of foreign treaties.
Corroborative proof of allegedly COM
ing events is seen In the fact that the
German Ambassador to Japan recently
returned to his post after conferences
with Chancellor Hitler and other high
NaA officials following the Nuremberg
congress in September. 1t will be re-
called that Der Fuehrer on that occa-
sion bluntly affirmed the Reich's lust
to possess itself OF vast expanSes of Rus
sian territory capable of furnishing Ger
many with raw materials and foodstuffs.
Yet another confirmation of the alliance
story is supplied by the arrival of the
German military attache from q pro-
longed sojourn at Berlin and presumed
discussions with his army superiors.
There are even rumors that the text
of an alliance was actually drafted in
Germany and has been brought to Japan
by either the Ambassador or the military
attache. One of its supposed provisions
looks to German recognition of Man.
chukuo.
Germans and japanese see eye to eye
on the red menace, though the outside
world inclineS to the belief that 1t Is
largely bogey set-up to conceal what
really lies behind it-territorial aggres-
sion at Russia's expense. The Com
munist scare real or artificial, is so much
Of an obsession in Berlin that IT has
come to form almost the bedrock of Nazi
foreign policy and the excuse for re-
armament. Hitler's new Ambassador to
the Court of st. James has publicly
announced that his fundamental mis-
sion is to enlist Britain's support in Ger
many's plan for European combination
against the U. 8. 8. R.-a project upon
which the London foreign of1ice promptly
and emphatically frowned. Japan, too,
appears to be afiicted with just as deep
dyed Communist complex. The Toxic
militarists continually justify aggressive
policy in North China with the claim
that it is necessary to build Sino-
japanese bulwark against the spread of
Soviet power across Asia, with danger
Of injecting and undermining Japan
itself, as well as China. The creation
of independent" Manchukuo is some
times defended on the same ground.
An offensive and defensive alliance
between the two great European and
Asiatic powers would confront the Soviet
with formidable military problem in
the event of war, compelling it to divide
its vast armies between fronts in West
ern Europe and the Far East. Such
contingency may have been in Mr.. Lit
vinoff's mind this week when he publicly
proclaimed that the Soviet's armed
power today is such that 1t faces without
anxiety any possible combination of
forces that could be arrayed against it.