RULE IN JAPAN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 129, 13 March 1935, Page 8

RULE IN JAPAN.

FORCES AMP SECURITY. FEELING OF THE PEOPLE. LONDON, February 16. The Tokio correspondent of "The Times," discussing the temper of Japan regarding naval disarmament, emphasises that the Japanese do not legard the Navy's antagonism to treaties as a usurpation of authority any more than they objected to the Army's seizure of Manchuria. The constitution is designed to give the fighting services effective methods of checking political interference. The correspondent states that the strength of the Army and Navy position is rooted in Japanese characteristics and history. They are not the instruments of the Government, but part of the Government, bearing the heaviest responsibility for national security. The people follow the Army and Navy because they trust them . Politicians, who are not trusted, follow the people. Even moderates are reconciled to the abrogation of the Washington Treaty, hoping that the removal of the obnoxious ratio will tranquillise the Navy and promote dispassionate consideration of the real problem. Nevertheless, the Army is amassing modern weapons because it fears a Russian attempt to reverse the position in Manchuria. The Navy demands freedom of construction, believing that only< th?i Japanese fleet prevented ap- s plication of sanctions when Japan attacked Manchuria, while the American fleet was concentrated in the Pacific. The history of Japan's relations with the West, however, justifies the belief that if time is given an agreement is possible.