The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 1941. THE POLICY OF JAPAN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20602, 1 November 1941, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES” GISBORNE, SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 1941. THE POLICY OF JAPAN

A statement issued yesterday by the Japanese Embassy in Washington goes a good distance towards defining the policy of Japan. For months past, Tokio has preserved an official reticence and such, comment as has been available has been of an unofficial speculative character. There has been nothing concrete upon which to bite, and any attempt to review the situatiort and the possibilities has been largely conjectural. It must not be taken for granted, of course, that this position has been changed—since Japanese opinions are so vacillating and contradictory—but a clear official pronouncement' is something, unusual and to be welcomed. “The United States," declared the embassy spokesman, “must lift the trade bans against Japan or risk war. There is a real danger of Japan being forced to take drastic action to get oil and other materials.” These are words which the average American will understand. Whatever loop-holes may have been left, they are a plain unvarnished threat, and, indeed, not a great deal short of an actual ultimatum. The United States “must” do certain things or, in effect, take the consequences. She is likely to take th'6 consequences, for no one in his right senses would believe for one moment that the United States Government or the American people would swallow their principles because of a threat by Japan.

The implications of the statement go a good deal further, for when the spokesman remarks that there is a danger that Japan will be forced, to take drastic steps tb secure oil and other materials he speaks the obvious truth. Here there is a frank admission that the sanctions which have been imposed against Japan in consequence of. her policy of aggression are being effective. In other words, they are producing the desired results and so crippling Japan economically that she will be compelled either to reverse her policy or else pursue it to the bitter and disastrous end. Clearly, she cannot continue as she is going. It is typical of the Japanese character, perhaps, that she should demand concessions from the United States. What she is really asking is that the effect of her own course of action should be remedied. What she should do, and must do eventually, is to remove the cause of her present dilemma. Thik may not be easy, because prestige is such a vital thing to the Japanese, tut it will be infinitely less hard than the alternative course. Japan has got to give way. She has to abandon her ambitious designs at the expense of other countries, and she has to disgorge a good deal of her ill-gotten gains, for it is now more clear than ever before that there can be no policy of appeasement towards her.

The Japanese spokesman calmly proposes that in order to avoid the risk of war the United States should lift the trade bans which have been imposed. Does anyone imagine for one moment that such a concession would ensure the peace of the Pacific? If all Japan desires is the maintenance of trade wjth America and other countries, then there is no reason why it should ever have been interrupted. It was interrupted solely because Japan demanded and took other things. Were she in a position to do so she would take still more, and because the possession of the supplies she now demands would put her in such a position those supplies must be refused. To-day, there is no room for compromise. Japan, concerned only with the development of her own country and the well-being of her own people, could have had all the supplies she needed. But Japan, plus bases spread throughout Asia and the Pacific, now only needs supplies to make her a menace to all her neighbours. For that reason she must be denied supplies. If Japan has her way there will be a repetition in the Far East of what occurred in Europe, and because of this Japan must not be given her own way; A halt has been called to her aggression, and Jt must be maintained. There must be no feeding of another tiger—or even of a jackal. The Japanese Prime Minister speaks the truth when he says that Japan is facing an unprecedented crisis, but he does not display wisdom when he says she “must push on undauntedly to attain the nation’s mission.” Whatever his conception of that mission, it will not be achieved by pushing on undauntedly against the combination of Powers which would be arrayed against him. It may be that General Tojo is merely inflated by the common belief cf Japan’s divine mission and her great destiny. It may be that he is being pressed to fulfil the role: assigned to Japan under the Axis Pact. Or it may be that the pressure of events in his own country, and of

the embargo imposed by other countries, is impelling him to action. But. whatever the motive, it is clear that the policy of Japan is one of desperation rather than of choice, and because this is the case there is little reason why it should be feared and every reason why it should be firmly resisted. No concessions which could be made at this stage would relieve the tension or remove the danger of a conflagration in the Pacific—unless those concessions come from Japan herself. To compromise now would be fatal. It is for Japan to choose the path of peace or war. Let her choose and let her take the consequences should she choose wrongly.