Evening star., 1936-02-26
MORE AGGRESSIVE
POLICY PREDICTED
Straining of Soviet ReIa.
tions May Follow Toxic
Uprising.
BY the Associated Press.

~ ehC AooOSAutC4 AOocs
The eyes Of teeming China, of wary
Russia, of all the community of ma.
tions turned uneasily today to Japan.
Seldom has the ancient East been in
so delicate a balance between peace
| and conflict. Deep-rooted are the
causes. momentous the effects. Meager
as was the news from the isles of
Nippon, concern over the possible con-
sequences of militaristic coup in that
inscrutable land everywhere was evil
dent.
League of Nations officials at Geneva
envisaged the development of more
aggressive Japanese foreign policy
under possibly Fascistic military dc
tatorship. with Russo-Japanese rela-
tions strained even more than now.
China, newly lulled into compare
tive calm with the lapse of Japa-
nese-approved North China separatist
movement, feared new Nipponese
moves.
Soviet Sees New Threat.
The Soviet Union, at literal swords
points for months with the puppet
state of Manchukuo over a bitter
boundary dispute, saw new and seri-
Gus threat to peace in the Far East.
Remote, ill-defined borders between
Soviet-advised Outer Mongolia and
Japanese sponsored Manchukuo. have
seen repeated clashes which both the
Russians and the japanese -Manchu-
kuoans have claimed were "invasions"
OF their respective territories.
This dispute, spurred on. Soviet off,
cials say, by Japanese militarists seek
ing to extend japanese influence far
to the west. is far from settled.
| Russia has increased her standing
army to 100000 men, largest in the
world, avowedly to Withstand threats"
from both Japan and the Nazi
Reich. Only last week the Toxic war
Office announced the early movement
of two japanese army divisions to
Manchukuo.
| The maneuver was called routine,
but the japanese militarists repeat
edly have made charges of great So
Wet military concentrations in the
Far East, near Manchukuo's borders,
and have urged measures to cope
with the situation.
A free rein for the japanese military,
Soviet observers said today, undoubt-
edly would create a more serious sit
uation.
Resented Arms Reductions.
League Of Nations onIookers-Japan
Is not a member-shared this view,
Geneva sources said the Japanese
military party have chafed increas-
ingly of late over budget restrictions,
imposed by civilian authorities.
The militarists also were impa-
tient, it was believed, because Of an
apparent tendency by the Okada
government to curo the army's activi-
ties in China and Mongolia. Geneva
believed the army men may have
foreseen a conciliatory arrangement
with Soviet Russia and an early return
to complete parliamentary govern
ment and that they acted accord
ingly.
Comparative tranquility in rela-
tions between Japan and China over
the question of North China irlde-
pendence. competent observers be-
lieved, irked the military element in
Japan, long at odds with more con-
servative civilian leaders.
A compromise, semi autonomous
council was set up several months
ago for two North China provinces
in lieu of the second "puppet state"
which the japanese army apparent
| ly wanted. Anti-Japanese rioting
subsided in Chinese cities. Japan's
foreign Minister, Koki Hirota, recent
ly enunciated a three-point foreign
policy of cooperation with China.
Friendly Utterances.
This included cessation Of anti
Japanese activities in China. recog-
milton of Manchukuo by China and
repression of the Communist menace"
in China. Although there were strong
indications the Marking government
did not see eye to eye with Japan on
the second point, friendly utterances
by both japanese military and civil
officials have further soothed the sit
uation in recent weeks.
Japan's abrupt departure from the
5-power London Naval Conference
last month followed refusal by Amer
lea, Great Britain, France and Italy
to grant her fleet parity on the seas
instead Of the 5-5-3 ratio contained
in expiring treaties.