General Hayashi Resigns

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22108, 2 June 1937, Page 8

General Hayashi Resigns

An already puzzling political situation in Japan has been further complicated by the resignation of the Hayashi Cabinet following an alliance against it between the Seiyukai and Minseito Parties, which together control 354 of the 466 seats in the Diet. When, towards the end of last March, General Hayashi secured the dissolution of a Diet which was overwhelmingly opposed to his policy, he was apparently under the impression that the two major parties were on the point of disruption and that either during or after the election a new party would emerge pledged to his support. Early in the election campaign it became apparent that these hopes were without foundation, that in fact the Seiyukai and Minseito Parties had been strengthened by. the dissolution, and that the Government must expect an overwhelming defeat at the polls. General Hayashi accordingly changed his tactics and proclaimed that the purpose of the dissolution was merely to " teach "the politicians a lesson," adding significantly that if the new Diet proved as recalcitrant as the old, another dissolution would be sought. The result of the election was to leave General Hayashi in a weaker position than before. It gave party politics a new lease of life, showed that the Government was unpopular with all sections of the community, and greatly strengthened the Labour-Socialist element in the Diet. The Seiyukai-Minseito alliance left General Hayashi two possible courses of action. He could remain in office and ask for a fresh dissolution pf the Diet, or he could resign. Since the March dissolution is now generally admitted to have been a political blunder of the first magnitude, it was at least doubtful whether the Emperor and his advisers would

allow the first course to be followed. General Hayashi has therefore chosen to resign without consulting the Diet. The position thus created is an interesting one. It might have been expected that the leaders of the Seiyukai-Minseito alliance, having convincingly demonstrated the extent of their political influence, would be invited to form a Cabinet; but in the meantime Prince Konoye, President of the House of Peers, has been commanded to form a Ministry. There is no guarantee that he will meet with success, and the possibility of a Seiyukai-Minseito Government may yet have to be considered. At no time since the Manchurian affair has the army been more unpopular in Japan. It is significant that the political parties are now on the offensive and are compelling the army leaders to answer the charge that army feuds, and not the irresponsibility of the politicians, are the real menace to national unity and the national polity. Needless to say, the formation of a Seiyukai-Minseito Cabinet in Japan would not mean a complete restoration of constitutional government in Japan, even though it would check the growing power of the military bureaucracy. In order to strengthen their position the leaders of the two major parties have lately accepted many features of the army's political programme, including the project for " constitutional reforms" which must limit the power of the elective assembly.