WAITING GAME

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24103, 23 October 1941, Page 9

WAITING GAME

JAPANESE TACTICS TALKS WITH AMERICA NEW APPROACH LIKELY (Herd. 8.20 p.m.) J.OXDOX. CM. 21 Japan will ask America, for a definite yes or no to the minimum Japanese propositions before any further attempts are made to resume the Washington talks, says the Tokio correspondent of the Daily Mail, It is believed that the preliminary talks will be resumed within a week and will decide whether further discussions are likely to result iu a satisfactory agreement. Well-informed observers in London believe the Japanese Prime Minister, General Tojo, is playing for time until Japan has completed her troop movements and naval dispositions, and has braced her domestic political machine for an attack on the democratic Powers. The sudden suspension of Japan's sabre rattling, they believe, merely indicates that General Tojo, pressed bv Nazi fifth columnists in Japan to produce a crisis and divert the Tjnited States, found the crisis was running away with itself. General Tojo wishes to maintain the initiative by keeping the United States guessing. The Tokio newspaper Nichi Nichi this morning, in discussing the JapaneseAmerican negotiations, states that Japan, has clearly indicated her limit, and if this limit is passed she must be prepared lor the worst. United States' Attitude The Kvening Standard says that General Tojo is nearly a dictator —an important fact in a country where internal squabbles at the last moment have often impeded the decisive character of Japanese action. The great demand of the hour is that Tokio should not be left in doubt as to American action if the Japanese Army makes an aggressive move. The Japan Times Advertiser states that the Tojo Government is prepared to undertake mediation in the European war if an opportunity presents itself. The same newspaper also states that plotters are attempting to wreck Thailand's friendly relations with Japan. If they succeeded the Japanese forces in Indo-China would be faced with a hostile frontier. In the circumstances Japanese assistance to Thailand would be a helpful move without any purpose of threatening surrounding countries. The Japanese Minister at Large, Mr. Haruhiko Nishi, an expert in Russian affairs, has been appointed Foreign Vice-Minister, succeeding Mr. Eiji Amau. The Naval Situation The reconstruction of the Japanese Cabinet prompted some observations in London to-day on the naval situation in the Far Fast. While Japan is in a perfect geographical position to prevent supplies reaching Russia from America through Vladivostok, she is herself extremely susceptible to blockade. The latest available figures show that the Japanese Navy possesses 10 battleships, several of which have been modernised, eight aircraft carriers, 11 Sin. gun cruisers, six largo 6in. gun cruisers, 64 destroyers and about 86 submarines. These figures dp not apparently include any ships laid down by Japan since she threw over the naval agreement some five years ago, but it is thought that she has only one new battleship, which is nearing completion. Bases lor Allies In the event of trouble arising in the Far Fast, it may be useful to consider what naval bases are open to British, American and Dutch East Indies fleets. Hongkong was Britain's principal base before the construction of Singapore, but under the terms of the Washington Treaty the facilities there have not been increased to make it a modern naval base. The same restriction applies to the American bases of Manila and Guam. Singapore is a modern base and capable of holding a very large fleet. Strategically its position is very favourable, as it covers Britain's trade routes in the Indian Ocean and sea communications to and from Australia and Now Zealand. Dutch naval forces are by no means negligible. The Japanese Navy is regarded as well manned, quite a number of its officers having been trained under the British. After the last war Japan's naval air force was trained by a mission headed by Lord Sempill. PRISONERS OF WAR EMPIRE TOTAL 66,000 LONDON, Oct, 21 The total number of prisoners of war in enemy hands from all parts of the Empire is about 66,000, stated the War Secretary, Captain H. D. Margesson, replying to a question in the House of Commons. He added that 10 inspectors had been appointed by the protecting Power (the United States) and enemy camps were visited by inspectors once in six weeks. AMERICAN REPAIRS MORE BRITISH WARSHIPS. WASHINGTON, Oct, 21 The Navy Department announced today that the following British warships are in United States ports:—The auxiliary minelayer Agamemnon, the auxiliary cruiser Cathay, the corvette Candytuft, making a total of 35 for repairs under the Lcase-or-Lend Act. FREE FRENCH TROOPS ARRIVAL FROM AUSTRALIA DAMASCUS, Oct. 21 Free French troops from Australia have arrived in Syria, where every part of the French Empire is now represented. Large quantities of Vichy war material, including tanks, are being overhauled for the Free French, who are also expecting American tanks. JAPANESE USE GAS ALLEGATION BY CHINESE LONDON, Oct. 21 The Chinese Military Council at Chungking claims that the Japanese have made 876 gas attacks against the Chinese from the beginning of hostilities in 1937 to June, 1011, resorting to gas whenever they were hard pressed. The council is of the opinion that the Japanese will use gas more frequently in future due to the increasing difficulties of their military operations throughout China.