Italy and Japan

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21533, 24 July 1935, Page 10

Italy and Japan

It might be expected .that the similarity between Japan's treatment of Manchuria and Italy's treatment of Abyssinia would produce some sort of fellow-feeling between the Japanese and Italian Governments. Actually, however, their relations have grown steadily worse ever since the Abyssinian'" crisis developed; and now, according to the cable news, the Italian press is accusing Japan of "organising the "coloured races against the whites " and provoking revolts in European! "colonies." At the root of the trouble is the success of Japanese commercial penetration in Abyssinia. By the London agreement of 1916 Abyssinia was divided among Great Britain, France, and Italy into spheres of economic interest. From Italy's point of view the agreement has been a complete failure, since the Abyssinian market for textiles has been captured by Japan. Moreover, the present Emperor of Abyssinia, Haili Sellassie, is a great admirer of Japan and has been helped by Japanese experts and Japanese capital to develop his enuntry. Shortly after his corona-

tion he sent his nephew, Prince Araya Araba, to Tokyo on a special mission and there, so the story goes, the young man fell in love with a daughter of Viscount Kuroda. Though the match was broken off, probably as a result of representations by Signor Mussolini, the visit resulted in the dispatch of, a Japanese trade mission to Addis Ababa and a concession of 2,000,000 acres of cotton land was given to Japan by the Emperor. Early in the dispute between Abyssinia and Italy, Count Gayda, who is supposed to speak for the Italian Government, denounced those pov/ers, among them Japan, which were supplying munitions to the Abyssinian forces. The Japanese Government's retort was to lodge a formal complaint with the Italian Minister in Tokyo against the assistance given by Italy to the Nanking Government in its efforts to create a military air force. Some years ago Signor j Mussolini's son-in-law, the Conte di Ciano, succeeded in persuading General Chiang Kai-shek to receive an air mission from Rome and to allow Italy to refund part of her Boxer indemnity in aircraft and equipment. General Lordi and 20 experts were accordingly sent to Nanchang, the centre of the Nanking Government's campaign against the Communists, where they established the largest and most efficient training school for military pilots on the Chinese mainland. If it were not all so very tragic, there would be something amusing in the spectacle of the Japanese and Italian Governments solemnly rebuking one another for conduct likely to lead to a breach of the peace.