Evening star., 1936-09-27
Japan REALIZES
AVIATION NEEDS
Air Force 0vershadoWed by
Those of U. S., Britain,
France, Soviet.
BY FRANK H. HEDGES.

BY FRANK H. HEDGES.
TOXIC, September as (N.A.N.A).-
Building up of Soviet air force
throughout Siberia with It's base at
Vladivostok, only few hundred air
miles from the heart of the Japanese
Empire. and the steady progress made
by China in expanding its military
and civilian aviation strength, coupled
with the trans Pacific flights Of Pan
American Airways and the expected
extension to Hongkong Of the British
Imperial Airways. are serving to make
Japan more and more air conscious
From the military standpoint. Japan
Is becoming more air timid.
The Japanese Army Is demanding
the creation Of a separate air min
istry In consequence. under which
would be placed military. naval and
commercial aviation.
The navy opposes this. but for
purely domestic policy reasons. 1t
fears. and with justification, that such
a ministry would in reality be a SUBJ
department Of the war office and that
the navy would lose its present inde-
pendence In the air, which Is even
greater than the independence Of the
American Navy. due to the fact that
coast defense aviation here comes
largely under navy control. The COM
promise that will probably be worked
out will be the creation of a semi
independent air bureau placed di-
rectly under the cabinet, rather than
under any one ministry.
Forces Compare Unfavorably.
The huge funds being sought by
the Japanese Army from the next
session Of the Diet are predicated in
part on q realization of the necessity
of building up the air force. At
present 1t compares most unfayorably
with that of the United States. Great
Britain, France, Soviet Russia and
other powers. In addition. large ap-
propriations will be asked to subsidize
airplane manufacturing industry in
Japan.
The Toxic government is very jeal-
GUS about giving statistics on any
matter which can even be remotely
related to national defense, but the
approximate status of the air services
is known. with the exception of size
and personnel.
| The japanese army has approx
mately so air combat squadrons. The
number of planes in each squadron
varies, 50 that no general figure can
be given, save that the total of all
types Of planes (training, bombers,
pursuit and reconnaissance is approx
imately 1000. OF these so squadrons
about 20 are stationed in Japan
proper. about the same number in
Manchukuo with the Japanese forces
there known as the Kwantung army,
and the remaining 10 in Korea and
Formosa.
Unlike the American air service,
Japan has a larger number Of pilots
who are enlisted men than officers.
The consequence is that these pilots,
most of whom have had no education
beyond high school, lack the intelli-
gence and initiative that other coun-
tries consider essential to such work.
Equipment is also, on the whole, very
much behind the times.
War Office Aware OF Facts.
The war office is fully aware of these
facts, and it is probable they will be
corrected now that more attention is
being given to aviation
The navy has about 40 combat
squadrons, both afioat and ashore
each squadron consisting Of 10 to IL
planes. These are based at coast de-
fense posts, on airplane carriers and
on aircraft tenders. The general
tendency of naval aviation policy is
to protect the major areas of the en-
pire which might be attacked from
the sea, particularly by air.
The rich industrial district CENTER
ing around Osaka seems to be left
largely to the army to guard, but the
navy has substantial air concentra-
tions in the Toxic area. around the
Straits Of Shimonseki, which give en-
trance to the inland sea from Korea,
in the southern island of Kyushu.
around the route to Korea and like
wise to guard the route to Vladivostok.
Civilian aviation is intrusted almost
entirely to the hands of q single op-
Grating company, the Japan Air
Transport Co. with an auxiliary
known as the Manchuria Aviation Co.,
to handle traffic in Manchukuo. Com
mercial aviation has been developed
by a number Of private firms, but the
concentration Of government subsi-
dies on the Japan Air Transport has
left this one concern almost supreme
In the field.
Network Covers Islands.
An extensive network of commercial
air lines covers the main islands Of
Japan, Korea and Manchukuo. and
less than q year ago was extended to
Formoea. Except on the trunk route,
services are not overly frequent. More
over, Japanese commercial planes will
not take to the air II the weather is
threatening, and there Is no night
flying at all, although the main route
is gradually being equipped with bea-
cons. Lack Of radio equipment in the
planes, however. will prevent night
flying. even when this Is completed.
Perhaps because of this caution
against flying in adverse weather. the
Japan air transport has an excellent
record Of few accidents and casual
ties in ratio to the number of pas
senger miles flown, despite the fact
that the larger part Of its equipment
Is antiquated.
The best equipment is concentrated
on the new line to Formosa, most of
which lies over the sea. There can
be no doubt that this represents
Japan's first attempt to enter the in
ternational commercial aviation game
and that the empire is awake to the
fact that unless this Is done soon there
will be no room left. Japan Is really
the only part Of the Far East now
isolated from the world by aerial
routes.
China Service Planned.
There Is Q growing ambition to Gre
ate Japanese Air services to China, to
Singapore, to the South Seas, to some
connecting point with the Pan-Amer-