Evening star., 1941-10-11
Far East Storm Clouds

ican relations again is falling, with
the likelihood of another phase OF
acute tension in the near future.
Current anti American sentiments
! from both the japanese press and
official sDokeymen are pitched in
key which denotes a mood of deS-
pcration not unmiXed with hysteria.
This .anti-American publicity is
complex. In part. it seems to be a
! last effort Of the KOnOye government
to impress Washington with the
necessity of making at least a tempo
| rary compromise. But there is scant
possibility that Washington will be
any more Impressed BY this latest
bid than it has been by earlier ma
n1uvers OF the Eonoye cabinet. The
chief stumbling block to such an
arrangement is China. Prince
Kon0ye could not, if he would, re-
treat from China. Our Government
would not, if it could, withdraw its
support Of China against japanese
aggression. The exploratory con-
verSationS" which have been going
on between Toxic and Washington
were thus, in a sense, foredoomed to
failure, though they may have served
useful purpose by enabling both
sides to gain time.
Washington probably is not averse
to continuing this time-gaining
process. since it does not desire
showdown in the Far East when its
attention is fixed on the crucial
Russian situation. But in Toxic va
riOuS political elements seem to be
awakening to the fact that time is
now running against them. The vir-
tual embargo of the western powers
has crippled japanese foreign trade
and is draining the Island Empire of
stored Oil and other vital raw ma
terialS The coming winter looms
grimly ahead for the suffering Japa-
neSe masses. In their Sullen be-
Wilderment. the. masses are turning
their resentment, not against their
political leaders, but against the
western powers, who are accused of
arrogance and desire to bring Japan
to her knees.
All this is grist to the ceaseless
propaganda of the army jingoes and
the patriotic societies 1t seems even
to be turning the traditionally mod
crate navy toward advocacy of eX-
treme measures. Dubious though
they are of a war with Britain and
America, even Well-informed navy
leaders might be willing to fight at
all costs rather than see Japan'S
warShips and merchant marine
rendered worthless and helpless
through lack of oil. If the navy joins
forces with the army, and if Prince
Konoye fails utterly in his attempt
to get a compromise agreement with
America, his relatively moderate
cabinet almost certainly will fall and
be replaced Dy a government of gen.
erals and admirals pledged to agrees
sive action for the realization of
Japan's ambitious aims.
Once such government were in
stalled in Toxic, an explosion in the
Far East would be inevitable 1t
might begin by a japanese attack
on Siberia, especially if the Russian
armies in Europe should suffer a
major disaster. There might also be
an aggressive move against Thailand,
which evidently is being urged by
German agents. anxious to see Japan
at war with America and Britain.
But even though japanese aggression
were confined to Siberia, Britain and
America might not be willing to
stand by while Soviet Russia was
being dealt a possibly fatal blow in
the back. So war in the Pacific
might be precipitated in either event.
The Konoye government appears
to be the last bulwark of moderation
in Japanese politics. In Japan's
present volcanic mood, KOnoye could
not be replaced by another stop-gap
cabinet. His fall would signify the
end of compromise. Thenceforth,
the militarists almost certainly would
have the f1OOr