PACIFIC PROBLEMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21977, 12 June 1933, Page 7

PACIFIC PROBLEMS

JAPAN’S. BROKEN PROMISES ANTI-BRITISH TARIFF. LONDON, June 9. A Sun Service message says:—“The Japanese demand for naval parity with England and America—coupled with trade threats—brings the Pacific more importantly into world problems than ever before. It is not expected that Japan will press for parity until the 1935 conference, but her breaches of the Washington Treaty are causing the utmost perturbation. Japan undertook not to attack China, not to seek a variation of the 5-5-3 ratio, and not to fortify the Pacific, but she abused her agreement by attacking China. Then she demanded naval parity with England and America, and now she is ruthlessly assaulting world trade. “ The British Government is anxious that the position should be constantly discussed between London and Tokio, but so far without signs of a solution.” The Daily Mail’s Tokio correspondent says: “As a result of India’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. The Foreign Office and the Ministries of Finance and Commerce reported that they had conferred and had decided to seek an emergency ordinance for retaliatory tariffs on Empire goods, which would probably be enforced in July. It is intended to levy prohibitive duties specifically on Australian wool and wheat, Canadian timber and wheat, English machines, steel, Indian cotton goods, and iron.