STRONG ATTITUDE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 180, 2 August 1940, Page 5

STRONG ATTITUDE

BRITAIN PREPARED TO CHANGE POLICY FAILURE OF CONCILIATION WITH JAPAN LONDON. July 31. ’ Hazarding a gues> at some of thquestions raised during the secret ses-| sion ot Hie House of Commons, which ■ concluded last night, a London comment \ ; -aid that one of them was almos. certainly the increasingly) grave .situation in the Far East and i British relations with Japan. After referring to the statement of , the Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax on the arrest of British subjects in i Japan, the commentator continued:— = “It is clear that the British Govern- • ment not only takes a serious view ! of the Japanese situation, but is pre- I pared to take a strong attitude to- ' ward Japan. “Before the Government of Prince . Konoye took office some people in j Britain honestly believed that a con-: dilatory attitude toward Japan would 1 bp met by equal conciliation. Others ; who were not so hopeful felt that the ■ danger which faced Britain in Europe demanded the exercise of the utmost i caution in our Far Eastern commit - ■ ments. Much Opposition “Ob\ iously we had to do everything i humanly possible to avoid increasing I the already enormous demands on our | Navy, Army, and Air Force. The j closing of the Burma Road was not j decided upon without much misgiving 1 or without weighing all the pros and cons, and even then there was a very considerable body of opposition in Britain against the concession, which seemed to weigh the scales heavily against China. “Actually, of course, the closing of the Burma Road was not as important a concession as at first it seemed. It was only a temporary measure, which became operative during the months of the rainy season, when the Burma Road could not function efficiently as a highway for the arms traffic into China, and it was contingent also on Japan and China during that period attempting to find some grounds for peace negotiations. “It is now clear Io everybody that the hopes entertained by those responsible for the Burma Road concession have not been realised. “The Government of Admiral Yonai, to which the concession was originally granted, has been replaced by the more nationalist Government of Prince Konoye. Mr. Arita, Foreign Minister, has been replaced by Mr. Matsuoka. Ever since the first Manchurian incident. Mr. Matsuoka has been associated with the more extreme school of Japanese statesmen, and it is significant that his return to office should be followed so quickly by anti-British activities. “Perhaps this incident is yet another proof of the argument so often advanced since the rise of Hitler that

with certain States, as with certain persons, conciliation carried too far is only interpreted as a sign of weakness. Whether that argument is sound or not, Grat Britain is still able to make powerful demonstrations of her I strength in distant oceans, however imminent and however powerful ma? be the enemies who are preparing to attack her on her own coasts and in her own skies”