Evening star., 1941-12-04


certain attitude OF the Japanese
naval high command. The Navy.
which frequently has supplied jap
anese premiers and foreign min
isters. occupies a position distinctly
subordinate 10 the Army in the
present government, headed by 1t.
Gen. Hedeki TOTO.
Not one word has been uttered
from any responsible Japanese naval
source since the TOTO government
was formed. Displacement Of Ad-
miral Teijiro Toyoda from the for
eign ministry and sending Of
special envoy, Saburo Kurisu, to sit
with Ambassador Admiral KichlSa-
buro Nomura IN negotiations here
are other circumstances possibly in
dicative that the Navy is standing
back waiting for the presently rul-
ing Army clique to hang itself.
Navy in Difficult Spot.
But it is emphasized that an open
break between the Japanese Army
and Navy on an issue so funda-
mental as is now presented would
OF itself amount TO a revolution.
Such an outcome is the more I'M
probable because the navy, by IN
sisting on a turn about in national
policy. would open itself TO the
charge that it was running away
from war that it chiefly would be
called upon to fight.
1t is remembered that European
statesmen, until long after Munich,
clung to vain hope that the Ger
man generals would step in TO STAY
Hitlers hand. Whatever the army
hierarchy may have thought of the
Fuehrer's objectives, it displayed no
hesitation in marching when ne
gave the command.
There are. however, marked diff
ferences between Japans situation
now and Germanys in the fall ol
1899. Having won Russia to her
side. Germany knew that she was
overwhelmingly stronger mllitarlly
than any combination Of powers
that was likely TO stand against her.
There was the danger OF a British
naval blockade, but for SIX years
Germany had been developing sub
stitutes and storing imported sup
plies against this menace. Aircraft
and submarines we're counted on
ultimately TO bring Britain to her
knees. The United States was
remote factor in German calcula-
tions.
Rioting Reported.
In contrast, Japan after four and
half year has been unable TO
whip even China. In addition to
exhaustion of her military and eco
nomic resources in the China war.
American-Brlt embargoes,
coupled with the outbreak OF war IN
Russia. have almost completely cut
of Japan's overseas supplies. Re-
ports to the State Department de-
clare that riots, provoked by unem-
ployment and shortages of rice and
fish, the main staples of japanese
diet, are rapidly spreading over the
country.
Finally, Japan is confronted IN
the present situation with over
whelming naval and air supremacy
of her potential enemies. An Amer
ican fleet, bigger than her own, IS
poised at Pearl Harbor in the mid
Pacific, and the arrival al Singapore
Tuesday of heavy naval units, includ-
ing the new battleship Prince OF
Wales, indicated that the British
have no intention of standing solely
on the defensive in that quarter.
American, British and Russian
bombers, based at Manila, Hong
Kong and Vladivostok, are in easy
flying reach of Japans papier-
mache cities.
The theme of American diplomacy
is that all of the ills besetting the
Japanese people are due to per-
sistence by their army on the Asia
tic continent in technique OF
armed aggression, copied from the
European Nazis. Mr.. Roosevelt told
how the japanese army twice had
deliberately sabotaged peace nego-
tiations with the United States Just
when these seemed to be going ia.
vorably Mr.. Hull, pursuing this
same line, told reporters Wednesday
that Japanese insistence on policies
based on force in every way-polltl-
cally, socially, economically, morally
had blocked all attempts at settle
ment.
It is apparent also that the A. B.
c. D. powers right now are pressing
with all their might for an imme-
diate showdown. whereas Japan IL
stalling. Premier Tojo probably
hoped for a German capture OF
Moscow to set the stage for Japa-
nese- American negotiations. The
American British hope obviously is
that Japan will decide that the
forces confronting her are too great
to be met entirely by her own power.