FROM MANCHURIA TO THE TRIPLE PACT

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23302, 12 April 1941, Page 8

FROM MANCHURIA TO THE TRIPLE PACT

JAPANESE POLICY ADRIFT

[From a Coi (Published by Arrange!

LONDON, March 4. When, on the night of September 18. 1931, Japan in Manchuria set out upon the long road which has so far shown no turning, her leaders acquired a certain dexterity in persuading the Japanese public, and to a lesser extent the world, that the effect usually precedes the cause. , ... First, they shaped the shadows which events cast before them, then they created the events themselves, and by this backward process they ultimately proved, at any rate to their own satisfaction, the justice of the action which they thereupon felt inevitably called upon to take. , . . At the time of the Manchurian incident the world was caught napping, and was not yet alive to the new technique, which has since become commonplace. Even Hitler did not disdain to borrow from the Japanese when he began to be threatened by small nations and overran them in self-defence. The Manchurian incident was also responsible for the formation of the habit of inventing militant slogans. To this habit Dr. Goebbels owed much in the development of his own technique. “Yoke of the White Man” In 1931 much was heard of the “30,000,000 oppressed people of Manchuria.” Round figures roll readily off the tongues of Japanese orators. But in due course the feeling of oppression was alleged to have been removed from the 30,000,000 Manchurians, and one began to hear a good deal about the oppressed millions of China, who ran into much larger (but nevertheless round) figures. Is it entirely withput significance that we are now beginning to hear of the oppressed peoples of Indo-China, Malaya, Burma, etc. (in round figures), groaning under the yoke of the white man? A recent speech of- the Japanese Foreign Minister before the Diet was full of slogans. He was cordial to the Axis, placatory to the Soviet Union, formally friendly to the South American States, and vaguely menacing to Indo-China. Thailand, and the Netherlands East Indies. But the real significance of his speech was that there emerged from it unmistakably the shadow of encirclement by the British Empire and the United States of America. One can almost hear the voice of Germany. The British Empire, engaged in the greatest struggle of all time with a powerful and tenacious foe, and the United States, whose main and publicly declared endeavour is to assist the Empire in that struggle, can nevertheless spare the . time and trouble to encircle Japan. It is hardly credible, but anyone who will believe Germany—and there is some reason to suppose that the leaders of Japan today do—will believe anything. Ambitious Materialism Is this shadow of encirclement the shadow which precedes the event? Is the event in its turn to be shaped which will call for action, just and inevitable? It would all be in accordance with the technique described in the first paragraoh of this article. And yet it seems hardly credible that Japan should resort to so disastrous and suicidal a course. The virtues of patience and perseverance which had won Japan the respect of other countries in bygone days had tended to be obscured during the rapid rise of the nation to power by an ambitious materialism. This gave certain elements in the Army the opportunity in September, 1931, to attempt a short cut to prosperity. When Manchuria had fallen and a puppet regime had been established there it became dear as early as 11935 that China proper, or at any rate North China, formed the next stepping-stone to Japanese expansion. Hostilities began in 1937 and have continued for nearly four years. They have caused countless sufferings to millions of people; they

irrespondent.l :ment with "The Times”.)

have Jed to the occupation of all tht ports of China and many of her great cities; but they have not yet brought Japan what she sought, nor have they altered the will of the Chinese people to be masters of their own destiny. The Japanese public did not suppose for a moment that a campaign against China would be anything but a short and glorious affair. To explain the prolongation of the cd*'fiict it became necessary to lay the .ame on somebody, and while nr f were blatned, ■- the fashion grew 4>f \fortraying Great Britain as the chief '•villain of the ‘ piece. “ - With an apparent impasse in China the war in Europe appeared to present possibilities to Japan. During the preliminary inactivity she was content, to remain passive. But when by the end of June, 1940, Germany could claim to have overrun and conquered Poland, Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, and France, V; there was surely proof, if ever proof - ' were needed, that aggression does indeed pay, Japan changed her Government, and the new Government, of which Mr Matsuoka has been so recent a spokesman, after a little preliminary : hesitation, signed a pact with Germany and Italy openly ranging Japan with Great Britain’s enemies and threatening the United States should it da«, to intervene. It was perhaps a pity’ ' that already by the time the pact war signed it had become apparent that, the immediate overthrow of Great Bri-; tain, promised by Hitler to the world at large, and no doubt to Japan in particular, was unlikely. What Germany wants is that Japan ... should become embroiled in war with ♦; the British Empire and the United v States. The service thereby rendered to Germany would be obvious. But if; in the event Japan should not win, that matters not at all to Germany, for at the worst all three Pqwers will have been weakened, and it is no part of the Hitlerian plan that Japan should; ’ occupy an equal-place with Germany, in the -new world order. It is as « pawn and not as a partner that sht is destined to play her role. If Japan Attacks From Mr Matsuoka’s speech, Get* many may well judge that her blandishments have not been in vain. Jot at first sight the speech would ip* pear to contain a threat to the 41* curity, not only of Indo-China, Thailand, and the Netherland East Indies, but also of the British Empire and : the United States, It is a tall order, and if Japan elects to attack, there is such a thing as a vigorous and resolute defence, with all those weapons of modern war to which Mr Matsuoka referred, and with which Japan is as yet unfamiliar. . The real threat m Mr Matsuoka « • words is not to the security of IndoChina. Thailand, the Netherland East Indies, or ultimately of the British . Empire or the United States. It is a threat to the peace, the prosperity, th* , happiness, and the welfare of the Japanese people, After 10 years of conquest which have brought them neither spiritual nor material well-being, after a struggle in which lives have been lost and deprivations suffered to HO purpose, they are being exhorted to believe that aggression is a good investment, that though it has paid no dividends to date, a further effort, more ...... capital outlay and sacrifice, will bring. ; them not only a dividend, but a‘substantial bonus. . . Such cynical disregard of human - values might come from Hitler himself. But in fact, it comes—no doubt at his inspiration—from those leaders in Japan who believe in Germany s star and are hypnotised by it. That t their frenzied finance and bad PO.h- 3 tics may now push the people to »r- ,<■ retrievable disaster means nothing. Germany has spoken, and \ . many says must be trqe.^ *■ ■■ creased quantities of. flax by ■ factories at Clydevale, Gore, and Wood- ■ lands. Further factories would proDably be erected at Fairlie, Geraldinft * and Ward. All these factories woma be tank retting units. In addition, proj ( f vision was being made to convert .. natural fibre factories at Washoyke, Tapanui, Winton, Oxford, and M«tn- •. ven, - - “It is realised." said the MitUSlWi! “that this work is undertaken prlmM; ; ily as a war effort, but it is hoped tlißt ]. with the huge capital expenditure that , has now been put Into this industry ' that a number of factories will bll®* : tained after the cessation of hostilities , and lay the foundations for a substW* tial linen flax industry in New ZW* land. In this connexion I have received ; offers from overseas to install maehm* ; ery to carry on a post-war manufacture, t. ’ing industry, and these are receiving careful consideration.’’ Response Lauded Reviewing the development of the ■ linen flax industry, Mr Sullivan said . that 12 months had not elapsed line! the first request was received by the '■ New Zealand Government to grow linen flax and ship the scutched fibre ? to the United Kingdom. It was of In- ‘ terest to the people of New Zeilana - to know the reason for that appeal, that 88 per cent, bf the requirements of the United Kingdom were obtained from Russia, Belgium, Latvia, and . Poland. Linen flax was an ®s* sential war material. The supplies from these sources being cut Off, the British Government made urgin' requests to Northern Ireland and her overseas Dominions. New Zealand responded by undertaking to plant 14,0w acres. . It was a source of gratification w him to record the magnificent response of the farmers to that appeal of tne Government. The securing of me acreage and the growing of the crop which incidentally only took 90 to IJW days to mature, while of paramount importance, was only the beginning subsequent processes which OCCUPI*® practically the whole period until w™ next crop came into the factory *o* treatment. In addition to securing y 1 ® acreage, land had to be acquired tor factory sites, plans had to be prepM®“ for factory buildings, workers accommodation, retting tanks, etc. Reports on First Crop The results of crops in the varlou* areas was reported by Mr Sullivan, u* the southern portion of the South 1»* .?. land crops had been of excellent qU® l ' ity, a fact which had been favouraPy commented on by Mr Bevenage (Be** gian expert), and also by Mr, Gl® 5 ‘ gow, the British Ministry of Supp*/ linen flax expert. In some areas owing to dryness of the season the crops not been so good, but this obvious 7 was beyond our control. Up to t present small quantities of fibre n been produced and had been exam ined by Mr Glasgow, who consjderea the fibre generally was of a nig“ . grade quality and would be most U» ful to the British<government m me manufacture of'tsfcHflane fabrics ana other essentia! War requirements.