JAPANESE MENACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21515, 12 June 1933, Page 9

JAPANESE MENACE

NAVAL ARMS AND TRADE

ANTI-BRITISH TARIFF WAR LONDON. June 9 The Sun news "service? says the Japanese demand for naval parity with Britain and America, coupled with the threat to trade of Japanese competition, will bring the Pacific moreprominently and - importantly into» world problems than ever before. It is expected that Japan will press for parity until the naval conference in 1935, but her breaches of the W ashu»gton Treaty are causing the utmost perturbation. Japan undertook not to attack China, not to seek a variation of the o o 3 naval ratio, and ■ not to fortify her Pacific possessions, but she has abused this agreement, it is claimed, by attacking China and then claiming naval parity with Britain and America. Now she is ruthlessly assaulting world trade. The British Government is anxious and the position is being constantly discussed between Loudon and Tokio, though so far there are no signs of a solution. The Tokio correspondent of the Daily Mail says that as a result of the Indian Government's tariff on non-British cotton goods Japan has virtually declared an anti-British tariff war. The Japanese Foreign Office indicates that it will neither support nor oppose a boycott of British trade. Ihe Ministers of Finance and Commerce are reported to have conferred and decided to seek an emergency ordinance for retaliatory tariffs on- Empire goods, which probably will be enforced m July. It is intended to levy prohibitive duties specifically on Australian wool and wheat, Canadian timber and wheat, British machines and steel, and. Indian cotton and iron. Count lshii, the chief Japanese delegate to the World Economic Conference, says he favours the lowest possible reduction of tariffs and an increase of world consumptipn instead of restricting production. Japan'is not actuated by an isolationist pokey and will cooperate with the nations in advancing the world's welfare.