Evening star., 1939-06-24
The Lion Rours

nS IlOH NOUTS
Mounting indignities visited upon
the persons of British subjects in
blockaded Tientsin have finally i'm
PEELED the London government to call
Japan Sternly to account. For the
moment Prime Minister Chamber
lain is content to describe the arro-
gance of Japanese military agents as
Fintolerable insults" and to warn
Toxic that a continuance of them
will force Britain to take action. Ad-
monitions to that effect were for
mally made to the Japanese Ambas-
sador in London by Foreign Secretary
Lord Halifax yesterday. Interrogated
earlier in the House of Commons, Mr..
Chamberlain stated to a Parliament,
in which resentment of japanese
high-handedness has reached the
boiling point, that his majesty's gov
ernment does not think the contro-
versy has yet reached stage which
requires consideration of retaliatory
measures.
That the British will not shrink
from appropriate reprisals-such, at
least, as the delicate international
situation permits-is no longer to be
questioned. A great power does not
lightly indict another for Offering
"intolerable insults" without either
the intent or capacity to stop them.
Such language implies an unmistak-
able threat and the readiness to car
ry it out if provocation persists. The
army zealots now ruling the roost at
Toxic are, of course, aware that Eu-
ropean political conditions require
the British to concentrate their
armed strength, especially naval
force, in the west. They know that
both Germany and Italy have un-
gratifled ambitions in Eastern Eu-
rope, in the Mediterranean and in
Northern Africa, and that the axis
powers might not hesitate to push
them the moment British attention
and energy are diverted by critical
developments in the Far East.
The Chamberlain government, of
course, is no less aware of the limita-
tions thus placed upon it, limitations
which give every indication of being
correlated and synchronized for the
common benefit of the western die
tatorships and their ASiatic ally. But,
hn Dyi{ {icl, ~
their disposal methods short of war,
but stronger than mere words" with
which to remind Japan that there is
limit beyond which her transgres-
sions may not safely go. The City of
London holds mighty whip hand
over the financial and economic life
OF the Oriental islanders The Jap
anese are dependent on the British
market-in Europe and in Asia-for
a vast amount of their trade An
embargo on that commerce, import
and export alike, would instantly play
havoc with japanese industrial life.
Even should Japan eventually win
her undeclared war on China, she
will emerge from the adventure eco
nomically almost bled white. She
will need British aid in that hour of
rehabilitation, as she will assuredly
need the help and good will of the
United States.
Unless common sense has COM
pletely taken wings at Tokio-unlesS
the young hotspurs who have defied
the civilian government, the business
interests of the empire and the con-
servative element of the country
generally since July, 1887, have ut
terly lost their heads, they will pause
on the precipice of decisions that
threaten, if not armed conflict with
the British Empire, a grave and per-
haps enduring strain in the relations
between the one-time allies.
Great Britain's present restraint,
In the face of "intolerable insults"
would appear to be based on the hope
that reason will yet prevail in Toxic.