Evening star., 1936-02-28
What Next in Japan?

'" Hat 1>CAt III japan
While conditions at Toxic are ap-
preaching normalcy after the weeks
Nazi-model blood purge, the outside
world awaits with anxiety the next phase
of the Japanese militarists' drive for
supreme power. The fear is bound to
linger that the army zealots, following
their carnival of assassination and re-
volt, will not shrink from risking sooner
or later some reckless adventure de-
signed to justify their attempt to seize
control of the government. At the mo-
ment moderate political elements, under
guidance of the Emperor and the highest
surviving statesmen, appear to be in
command of the situation. Civilian gov
ernmental functions, interrupted by the
Staying of Premier Okada and other
prominent officials, have been resumed.
Meantime there are ominous hints that
a Fascist military dictatorship may
emerge from the upheaval.
The acid test OF the government S
capacity to keep things on an even keel
is now due It will be the thoroughness
with which it contrives to suppress army
insurrection, and the bQldness OF its
measures to punish the authors Of We'd
nesday,s murders. The young officers
who committed those crimes are de-
scribed as "misdirected patriots, whose
motives were pure, but unwise." 1t be-
comes the stern duty of the successors
of Premier Okada and his felloW-victims
to discover exactly who "misdirected" the
irresponsible hotspurs, who wrote so
bloody a chapter of japanese history,
and to subject them to the fullest pen
. alties the law permits
Decidedly it remains to be seen wheth-
er such procedure will ensue. After the
assassination of other high officers OF
state under similar conditions in recent
years, the civilian authorities approached
the task of detection ard chastisement
of the guilty parties gingerly. The army
and navy beclouded both investigations
and trials in an atmosphere of jingoism
that made it exceedingly difficult for
Justice to be administered. Late events
at Toxic call for condign action by the
government if it is not to come under
suspicion of condoning what has hap
pened and of being clay in the army's
hands.
Nations beyond Japan's shores are
watching nervously to see whether the
militarists will renew aggressive activities
on the mainland of Asia with view to
provoking an armed clash with China
or Soviet Russia, or with both. Japa-
nese soldiers have always evinced ad-
miration for German militarists and
their policies. Perhaps the Toxic war
lords will determine that they face the
same opportunity and incentive for glory
that inspired their German prototypes
in 1914, and decide that the hour to
strike for greater Japan has arrived,
thus assuring their own perpetuation and
predominance. It was the late Okada
governments refusal to sanction the
army's project for conversion of North
Chinas five provinces into another Man
chukuo or to authorize an offensive on
the basis of Mongolian- Siberian border
clashes that Immediately preceded the
attempted coup d'etat at Toxic. Raw
material abounds on all sides of Man
chukuo for manufacture of incidents"
with which to inflame japanese pa
triotism.
There is no Disgusting the danger that
In a spirit of desperate desire to re-
habilitate their prestige. the war lords
may foment movements that would en-
gulf all Asia, could easily spread to
Europe and possibly embroil the whole
world. Everything depends on the abil-
ity and readiness Of the new Toxic gov
ernment to keep in leash the spurred
and helmeted elements that are thirst
ing for revenge and vindication.