A not unfamiliar scene in Tokyo nowadays is that of schoolboys, with rifles bigger than themselves slung across one shoulder and a satchel "of books across the other, going to their daily classes.
Tecame about as the result of the agreement reached between the War Office and the Ministry of Education for giving military training to primary school-boys in Japan. The War Offce maintained that the Proposed scheme not primarily meant to give school children military training, but "to implant in their minds the necessity for teamwork 20 that they may become god citizens and at the same time be trained in preventing thoughts' (which mean from the worst features of Com: munism and Socialism to dancing fox-trots and guzzling cocktails).
The Assistant Mipister of Edueation, who enjoys a reputation for being a bit of a wag, asked:—"Wouldn't football ensure. the teamwork desired by the War There was no giggling, except the suppressed chuckles of the Educa-chief lieutenant him-were only breathings of innocent and polite a voice uld command, the Assistant er of Education begged to be excused if he offended the dignity f paulette and sword and the incident closed.
Through this military training for primary school boys, the War Office claims, their conscription term, when they reach full adolescence, will be reduced by from four months to four-and-a-half months.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.