JAPAN'S AIM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 17, 21 January 1939, Page 17

JAPAN'S AIM.

DRAIN OP CHINA WAR. MORE MUNITIONS NEEDED. RUSSIA POTENTIAL ENEMY. At the end of November the heads of nil munition works in Japan, both Government and private, were called toother in Tokyo and addressed by the War Minister and the Vice Minister for War. They acknowledged that immense strides had been made in increasing the supply of nil descriptions of war material but declared that the level of production desired by the arn.v has not. yet. been attained. Lieutenant-General Tojo. the ViceMinister, was very outspoken al>o U t • liipau s anus and the repercussions of her policy on other countries interested in the trade and fate of China. His views, which no doubt are those of the Government, are worth reproducing Iff said in part: "Despite thcjlebacles at Canton and Hankow, the Chiang Administration is still resisting Japan. In the southvest, it, presumably intends to secure the continued aid of Britain and France and in the north-west that of Soviet Russia. Britain's pro-Chiang policv is evidently deep-rooted. She fears that the success of Japans continental policy may shake flu- foundations of Ler rights and interests iu China and may prove a. menace to Singapore. Australia nnd India, and her Far Eastern loUcv aims, in all likelihood, at the efeat of Japanese policy.

"Britain may sometime® feign friendliness towards Japan, but this may well nroWil" , P \ rt ° f . her tact ' cß the protection of her rights and interests nich are actually being lost. The prospects are thus very remote of her awakening to the new situation in East Asia and to the necessity of sincere cooperation with Japan. raDC ?i 'J BUre to follow Britain's lead, partly because of her desire to protect Indo-Cbina and partly in order to promote Anglo-French accord in Europe. Where Russia Stands. "As regards Soviet Russia she will aid the Chiang administration even more actively, with the double object of implanting her influence in China Jirmlv and creating a suitable hotbed iii China for the spread of Communism r,n P ln £ about the utter exhaustion of that country. There is no room for iloubt that Soviet Russia is strengthening her armaments in the Far East to provide against a war which she believes to be inevitable between Japan and herself, while attempting to reduce •Japans fighting strength by inducinc the Chiang kai-Shek Administration to carry on prolonged resistance against this country. "America is maintaining a neutral attitude at present, but shows little inclination to recognise the new situation in East Asia, as her stubborn adherence to the antiquated treaties regarding China amplv proves. Xo matter what is at the bottom of her present attitude, her future course of action warrants careful watching. Chiang's Army Still 1,000,000. "'Whatever the attitude of the Powers, •Japan cannot sheath her sword until hci ,-et purpose of establishing a new order in East Asia has been attained for the sake of the permanent peace of the Far East. Although the Chiang kai-Shek Administration lias lost much

of its military strength, it still has an army of some 1,000,000 strong. The numerical strength of guerillas and bandits, who are conspiring to disturb the Japanese rearguard, is some 400,000 or 000,000. Such being the actual situation, Japan's military operations must be continued and large quantities of war materials _ will be necessary. Hereafter Japan will have to be prepared for simultaneous warlike operations both against China and against Soviet Russia, and the radical settlement of the China affair can be hoped for only when Japan is fully equipped to meet this contingency. Everything possible must, therefore, be made to increase armaments and greatly expand the capacity for the production of war materials."