GENERAL UGAKI

Evening Star, Issue 22974, 3 June 1938, Page 1

GENERAL UGAKI

JAPAN'S MYSTERY MAH General Kazushigo Ugaki, the new Japanese Foreign Minister, has played a dominant role in politics for several years, and is considered to be one of the ablest of Japan’s statesmen. He has also been responsible for some political episodes which the Japanese military clique would rather forget. In fact, the history of his political career makes his appointment to the Foreign Ministry a cause for speculation, in view of tho fact that in past years he has aroused the violent animosity of Japanese army leaders, in whoso interests the new Cabinet changes are stated to have been made.

In January, 1937, after the resignation of the Hirota Cabinet, the Emperor appointed General Ugaki Premier, and ordered him to form a Cabinet. This choice greatly surprised the army, and immediately after the new Premier’s appointment he was repudiated by tho army’s “big Three,” comprised of tho retiring War- Minister, General Terauchi, the retiring Vice-Minister of War, Lieutenant-general Umezu, and General Sugiyama, late Inspector-Gene-ral of Military Education. Lieutenantgeneral Umezu, acting as spokesman, declared that General Ugaki was not acceptable to the army. He refused to give reasons. Even when the attention of the “ Big Three” was called to the disloyalty_to the Emperor implied by their opposition to his will, they "declined to explain their attitude beyond saying that General Ugaki, as Premier, would endanger “ the .unity and discipline of the army.” Their antagonism to General Ugaki, they said, was not constitutional but personal, and was concerned with a story of past events which the army wished to forget. DESIRE FOR DICTATORSHIP. This vague explanation, says a contributor to the London ‘ Sphere,’ did not satisfy the nation, who interpreted the army’s attitude as one more proof of its desire for a dictatorship. The “ Big Three ” vehemently denied this charge. Their spokesman asserted that the army was ready to co-operate in a constitutional government, and willing to observe all the powers of the Diet. They ‘were not working toward Fascism. They appealed to General Ugaki himself as a veteran statesman and a patriot not to force exposure of the past by a stubborn refusal to resign. General Ugaki resigned. Actually no other course was open to him, since he could not form a Cabinet without a War Minister, and the appointing of a War Minister was the prerogative of the army. After five days of ineffectual parleying, he informed tjje Emperor of his’.failure t# - carry command. Simultaneously, as a protest, he said, against the “ political organisation within the army,” he resigned his military rank.

Although it was common knowledge; before this incident, that General Ugaki was unpopular with the high command, few persons besides the principals were acquainted with the story behind the fact, but the significance of certain mysterious happenings between 1930 and 1937 has been privately explained by tho knowing. The general public remains uninitiated.

During the days of suspense between Ugaki’s appointment and his resignation, the statement was frequently heard that he would have been Premier long ago but for the army’s opposition. This was generally attributed to his having, in order to effect economy, reduced the army _by four divisions when he was War Minister.

He further antagonised a powerful section of the military party by his uncompromising support of the London Naval Treaty in 1930. The Treaty was ratified on October 4 of that year, but the dissension it had aroused caused the Cabinet to resign. General Ugaki, no longer War Minister, held a place on the War Council, where he came into bitter conflict with his military rival, General Kanaya, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. From this period starts the series of events which the high command wishes to forget and to have forgotten. The knowing in Tokio say that one day in March, 1931, a small band of young officers and cadets crowded into General Kanaya’s office, uninvited and unannounced. Their message was a warning to the general ti> quit his post in favour of General Ugaki. It was the first time that young Japanese officers had defied their superiors. The affair was hushed up, and the participators were dismissed from the array. It is uncertain whether Genera] Ugaki had connived in the plot, but the rival faction had borne him a lasting grudge for the cause of an apt of insubordination rising out of divided loyalties. It is a matter of known history that General Kanaya resigned, but his place was taken by an Imperial Prince above party factions. After this incident General Ugaki was persistently mentioned as a possible candidate for the post of GovernorGeneral of Korea. He disclaimed any interest in the proposal, and insisted that he preferred to stay in Tokio to immerse himself in politics. In June, 1931, he was sent to Korea. Nevertheless, in the spring of 1932, he was . credited by the army clique with knowledge of a strange happening. One morning troops surrounded the Diet. They were eventually dispersed without incident, hut it was whispered that General Ugaki had planned a coup.