Evening star., 1938-12-19
Soviet Scare Used
Again in Japan for
Big War Budget
Talk of Conflict More
General Than Since
Lost Summer
BY A. T. STEELE,

by "A. i. STEELE,
Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
PE1PING, Dec. 10 (By Radio).-
1t IS budget time in Toxic, so the
dependable old Russo-Japanese war
bogey Is being busted of and
puffed up to its fullest and most
terrible proportions to prepare the
way for the largest annual war bill
III Japan's history.
There is more talk of war danger
these days than at any other time
since the Changkufeng incident on
the Siberian-Korean- -Manchukuan
border last August. for the Japa-
nese armed services we'll know that
the best way to COW the Japanese
taxpayers and parliamentarians into
submission Is to jiggle the Rus
sian apparition In front Of them.
Relations between the two great
est Asiatic powers certainly are as
unsatisfactory as ever they have
peen IN recent years. Yet. while
most Japanese are resigned to the
lneVltabllity of an eventual clash,
all signs indicate that they do not
want 1t now.
Japanese Are Worried.
IL IS Russia which seems to be
applying the screws at the mo-
ment. Russian procrastination in
renewing Japanese fishing priv
lleges along the Siberian coast Is
the biggest, but by no means the
only source of friction. The Jap
anese are worried and immensely
annoyed also by Russian "oppres-
SION of japanese oil workers in
Northern Sakhalin Island and by
Russian reoccupation of disputed
Changkufeng Hill after floods
forced the Japanese to withdraw in
the 1all. They are exasperated no
end by the continuance of Rus
sian assistance to China, in def
ance OF Japanese protests.
1t Is easy to find motives for the
Soviet nastiness. For one thing,
the Russians may be trying to
ease Japanese pressure on China
oy dlverting it to themselves.
Mysterious Japanese troop move
ments in North China in recent
weeks indicate the possible sue
cess OF this strategy. At least 90
oOo Japanese soldiers have been
poured into Tientsin from the
south, but whether they are headed
1or Manchuria, to strengthen the
garrisons there, or are destined for
the Peiping -Suiyuan Railway in
inner Mongolia is open to doubt.
In either case the movement seems
to be aimed primarily at Rus
Sia.
A Japanese drive westward from
that railways terminus at Paotou
5OO miles northwest of here, has
been long projected. with the object
OF further extending the anti-Com-
munlst barrier between China and
Russia. and of threatening or sew
erlng the Russian line of supply to
emma. With the rivers frozen and
the ground hard, japanese mech
anized units will be able to ma
neuver with greater ease over the
treeless wastes barring the way to
West China.
Won't Give Up Privileges.
Japanese officials have declared
f1atly that Japan has no intention
OF abandoning its fishing privileges
regardless of whether or not Russia
consents to renewal of their agree
ment. They have intimated that
they will resort to force, if necessary.
to protect Japanese rights. This
SOUNDS Warlike. but the situation
has by no means reached such a
dangerous stage. and the japanese
are showing a disposition to COM
promise.
The most bellicose Japanese utter
ance of late came from the lips of
1t. Gen. TOTO, vice minister of war
in Toxic. who asserted that japan
must be ready to fight Russia and
China at the same time. His re-
mark is significant of the funda-
mental gravity of the Russo -Japa-
nese differences, but probably has
only budgetary Importance.
tCopyr1ght, 1888 Chicago Daily News Incl