Evening star., 1940-01-13
Cabinet Crisis at Toxic

Japan has other political troubles
on her mind than groundless anxiety
over American naval expansion plans
and proposed harbor alterations at
Guam. The current week end is ex-
pected to bring a climax to the long
smoldering crisis involving the pre-
miership of General Noboyuki Abe.
While his whole ministry is sched-
uled to resign in a body tomorrow,
Foreign Minister Admiral Nomura
may be reinstated, because he has
been laboring increasingly for months
to bring about a much-needed i'm
provement in relations with the
United States.
Next to the China war-that "inci-
dent" outside Peiping in July, 1887,
which has developed into des-
perate, costly three-year conflict.
Japan's paramount problem is the
settlement Of certain fundamental
differences with this country. Pre-
mier Abe, who took Office last
August, dedicated himself to their
solution from the outset, but, as a
high ranking member of the ruling
army caste himself, he manifestly was
not in position to make substantial
concessions to American objections
to that new order in Asia" which
the war lords have proclaimed as
their ineradicable program. For the
United States, that order means ex-
clusion from China and the surren-
der of all the rights we possess there.
Following Ambassador Crews now
historic "straight-from- the horses
mouth" speech at Toxic in October,
close on the heels of his return from
Washington, there were unwontedly
active efforts on the part of Premier
Abe and Foreign Minister Nomura to
discover ways and means Of appeas-
ing American sentiment. Mr.. Grew
had depicted this as thoroughly
aroused and in no mood to be put
off with repetitious subterfuge in
lieu of real rightings of wrongs Of
which our trade and our nationals
were systematic victims in Japan
occupied China.
Several weeks ago Toxic pulled a
rabbit out of its hat in the shape OF
a proposal to reopen the Yangtze
Valley to foreign trade on old terms,
as gesture designed to induce
Washington to renew the Jap
anese-American commercial treaty
which expires on January 26 in
consequence of American notice of
abrogation. Reaction to the Yangtze
suggestion was little less than luke
warm here, because it leaves un-
touched the many farther-reaching
grievances the United States has
against the Toxic military clique
and the roughshod treatment to
which it has Systematically SUBJ
jected Americans in China.
Whether the army, which utterly
rules the roost, will permit any sue
cessor to Abe, whether he be civilian,
general or admiral, to pursue a
course conducive to a genuine ad-
justment of outstanding questions Of
a caliber acceptable to the United
States is, unfortunately, an outlook
gravely to be doubted. Meantime it
is apparently the purpose of Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Hull
to sit tight and await developments.
They hold two trump cards. The
commercial treaty will die at the
end of another two weeks. Congress
has Japanese war-material embargo
resolutions before it. These have un-
doubtedly received new support
through former Secretary of State
Stimson's strong advocacy of such
punitive measures against the
islanders, who have invaded not
only China, but the covenanted
rights of this Nation and other west
ern powers.
If Premier Abe is succeeded by an
other creature of the army, pledged
to do its will at whatever cost to ia
pans external relations, no improve
ment in the United States attitude
toward that people with which we
have so long been friends is to be
expected.
One of the requirements of major
radio networks is that the diction Of
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