Evening star., 1936-02-27
Mailed Fist i'm .Japan.

N1oAICu I1SI III Jdpd1s
Political assassination and militarist
terrorism in Japan have been of such
periodical occurrence during recent years
that the world is hardly surprised even
by current catastrophe developments at
Toxic. The way was paved for them by
the late elections. These resulted in
vindication of the Okada national cabi-
net" and implied popular reputation of
the army's pretension to dominate the
civilian government. While there was
reason to fear that the hotspurs who
would convert Japan into Fascist
military autocracy would not accept
without protest their rebuke at the polls,
the violence to which they have had
resort is shocking demonstration of
the extremes to which the mailed fist
party is ready to go in order to impose
its supremacy.
Following the assassination of Premier
Okada and of four of his aides, and
the serious wounding OF other high
officials, the civilian authorities have
resumed command While Toxic rocked
nation of martial law, it is declared
that peace and order were maintained
throughout the empire and the situa-
ton is now quiet" Refusal of Fumio
Goto to accept the Emperor's mandate
to form a cabinet, however, indicates
that conditions are by no means normal.
These sanguinary convulsions in Japan
are the product of chronic conflict be-
tween the military and civilian ele-
ments. The army and navy resent the
political curbs imposed upon them, espe-
cially in the field of expenditure. The
generals and admirals charge the states
men and business interests with lack
of patriotic appreciation OF japanese
"destinies" and the necessity for ex-
pansion on the mainland of Asia. They
increasingly inflame public passions along
corresponding lines. 1t was in expEes-
sion of the militaristS objections to in
reference with their aggressive plans
that Premier Hamaguchi was slain in
1880, and Finance Minister Inouye and
Premier Inukai in 1882. Several other
officials and business leaders at intervals
have met similar fates. The latest blood
purge is in pursuance OF the reign OF
violence which the militarist-imperialist
party has continuously promoted in its
fanatical hostility to civilian restraint.
It was with the inception of the Man
churian adventure in 1881 that the army
extremists began to exhibit progressive
recklessness. Civilian efforts to stay
their hand on that occasion were utterly
futile. Growing contempt for govern
ment policies and orders ensued. on
one pretext or another these were braz-
enly fiouted, though latterly the Okada
ministry had achieved measure OF sue
cess in curbing the army in North China.
The civilians, too, contrived to check
recent aggression in outer Mongolia, with
incidental danger of war with Soviet
Russia.
The world will wait anxiously to see
whether the latest upheaval will lnclte
the army to justify itself by embarking
upon some mad venture doomed to drag
japan into war. There is obvious danger
that the military zealots, frustrated IN
their desperate thrust for supremacy,
will precipitate conditions designed to
bring on the long smoldering clash with
the Soviet, or push matters in China
to a point where grave complications
with non-Asiatic powers might become
inevitable.
The Western nations, which observe
sympathetically the attempts of japanese
liberals to mold the empires policy
along lines of peace and international
cooperation, will hope that the weeks
eruption will leave in its wake no dis
astrous consequences either for the
tranquility of Japan or for peace in the
Far East. But only time can establish
whether civilian or army influence def
nitely has the upper hand at Toxic.