The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-07-14
'Jdpan Drops Olympic IGdn1es Plan For 194O
Cabinet Will Act Request of Welfare Minister Fr-
 day = Finland Is Being Doomed - England Also Has Been Mentioned
BY H. o. THOMPSON

BY H. o. THOMPSON
 United Press Staff COrrespondent)
 Tokio, July 14.-(UP)-Japan, em- broiled in a costly war with China, virtually abandoned today the 1940 Olympic games, scheduled to be held in Tokio. Koichi Kido, minis ter of welfare, announced that his department wished to cancel the games. The cabinet will act on his decision tomorrow. Informed per- sons close to the government as-: to the committee in charge of the 1940 games predicted that the cabi- net would approve 1t and that Ja- pan would request some other coun- try to act as host to the worlds athletes in 1940. Officials believed however, that other countries would be reluctant to accept responsibility for the games on such short notice and saw a possibility that the 194O Olympics would be cancelled en- tirely.
 Resigned to Loss
 Michimasa Soyeshima, member of the International Olympics con- gress, apparently was resigned to cancellation despite strenuous ef- forts on the part of the committee in charge to continue preparations. He believed that the welfare depart 1nent's disapproval was tantamount to cancellation and held little doubt that the cabinet would do anything else but acede. q regret the action very much" he said, but apparent ly it was inevitable. I hope we can hold the games in Tokio in 1948. y One of the factors in the depart ment's decision was an unWillingness to spare materials and money for the Olympics. Japan, on a war foot ing, is limiting external and inter- nal expenses in order to carry on the campiagn against China.
 Exposition Postponed
 For this same reason the ministry of commerce announced that the Tokio International Exposition of 1940, scheduled to end shortly be- fore the start of the Olympics, had been postponed indefinitely. The ministry said that no new dates for the exposition would be set after the hostilities in China had ended.
 Several countries had indicated that they would boycott the games If held in Tokio. The British Am ateur Athletic Association early this year adopted boycott reso- lution passing its action on the Chinese-Japanese war. H. F. Paish vice president of the association suggested that British athletes limit themselves to meets with the United Staets and the Scandinavian coun- ries land other countries which still remain civilized"
 Df. c. T. Wang of China pro- posed to the International Olympics Congress at Cairo in March that the games not be held in any coun- try at war, but this was rejected. The congress announced that in view of assurances that Tokio was prepared to hold the games, and the Olympic charter, the congress was unable to consider request to hold the games elsewhere.
 Prospect Arose Early
 The prospect that Japan might abandon its role of host arose early this year when the then War Min ister, Gen. Gen Sugiyama told to a Japanese diet committee study ing the national mobilization bill that military authorities had de- cided to prohibit soldiers on the active list taking part in the games and recommended that the games be abandoned entirely if the Chin ese-Japanese conflict continued.
 Suggestions that Japan relinquish the games to Italy, her partner with Germany in an anti-Communist agreement, met with little favor in Rome. Italian athletic officials said they would be reluctant to take on the games on such short notice
 Berlin, July IA - U.PD - Karl Ritter Won Halt, chairman of the German Olympics Committee, said today that Japan's decision to give up the 1940 games was practical"
 Naturally, 1t has its political grounds, which could not be fore seen at the time when the games were awarded to Japan" he said. Japan apparently does not see it's way clear to sponsor the games.
 Tn my opinion the games cer- tainly will be awarded to Finland, while the winter games probably will go to Norway which for years has. been pushing it's candidacy"
 Before the International Olympics Congress in Cairo last March, Ger many fought in the struggle be- tween the pro-Japanese group led by Germany and Italy, and the pro- Finnish group which argued that Finland had been consistently good in track and field since the modern olympics started and was entitled to play host.
 Japans cause was helped great ly by the fact that Italy withdrew her bid for the 1940 games in Tokyo's favor. Many sportsmen ar gued then that the games should go to Finland where they would be