Evening star., 1937-01-10
Japanese Approaching Decision
On Fascist or Democratic Trend

government at every point which
offers itself, notably in the failure of
the present foreign policy and in the
fiscal measures whose magnitude
threatens the economic and financial
structure Of the empire.
The older bureaucrats are inclined
to aid tbe parties quietly and from
the sidelines. While they do not ap-
prove Of party politics without quail.
flcation, they prefer this form Of gov
ernment to Fascism. Their strength
lies in their personal influence and in
their membership in the House Of
Peers and the Privy Council.
The Privy Council, almost against
its will, since it is supposed to be above
politics, is lined up with the Democratic
movement. Its members, men Of the
type OF Viscount Ishii, realize that Ja-
pans true interests lie in friendly CO.
operation with the two great Anglo
Saxon powers, in peaceful co-opera-
ton with both China and Soviet Rus
sia. The German agreement threat
ems to wreck such friendship, and they
will have none OF it.
Big business and finance likewise
are rallying to the support Of the
parties. The economic views of the
Fascist group would destroy private
capital as it exists in japan and
would. in effect, nationalize wealth.
Business has no alternative other than
to aid the parties.
Never Refore Co Er;endleSx
These are the two general groupings
in Japan at this moment.
Meanwhile, in the realm of foreign
affairs, Japan has never before been
SO friendless and so helpless. In quick
succession, three major insults have
been delivered, and Japan can do
nothing about them.
The first of these came when the
British admiral of the ASiatic feet
Cancelled his formal visit to Japan,
during which he would have been re-
ceived by the Emperor, The second
came when China refused to come to
any agreement whatever with the
Toxic government and terminated the
Marking negotiations, curtly returning
the note the japanese Ambassador
had presented TO the Chinese foreign
Office The third came when Moscow
stated that it had delayed the signing
of the fisheries agreement because
Japan had concluded its pact with
Berlin.
Japan fears to pursue a policy OF
force now in dealing with China lest
it provoke a war with Soviet Russia.
In the realm of domestic affairs,
the Hirota government is in no bet
ter way. The whole nation resentS
the conclusion of the agreement with
Germany and the secrecy with which
the negotiations were conducted, as
we'll as the secrecy of the negotiations
with Marking. The huge budget, with
its accompanying tax increases that
will bear heavily on the little man,
with its bond issue Of nearly billion
yen that will bear heavily on great
wealth and probably bring initiation.
is bitterly resented.
Diet to Be Dissolved.
The strategy Of the Fascists is not
yet determined. One of three courses
will be chosen: The Diet will be dis
solved and a general election called,
during which the military will strive
to capture control of the new Diet
through formation of a pro-FaSciSt
Rightist political party and there
after enact the Fascist program
through existing legislative channels;
the Hirota government will be over
thrown and a cabinet Of younger bu-
reaucrats placed in power which will
do the army's bidding, or attempts
will be made to revise the whole gov
ernmental structure in such a way as
to create an outright Fascist state.
The strategy of the anti-Fascists
is to attack the government through
the House of Representatives and
cause its fall, replacing it with one
of democratic coloring; to block the
attempts to gain control Of private
industry and finance by every means
possible, perhaps even non-co-opera-
ton in bond purchases; to rally the
people at large behind their program
and to make it impossible for the
militaristS to dictate policy.
These are the elements and the
issues engaged now in the attempt
to make of Japan either a Fascist or
a democratic state, and this is the
situation in which the struggle will
be carried on. The outcome is I'M
certain and cannot be foreseen, but
unless foreign war interveneS the odds
are with the political parties, for
the simple reason that the military
have failed to give the people what
they want, and the people are fully
conscious Of this failure.
(Copyright, 1887, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc)