Av Age-of Upheaval Loyalty to the Throne Dissatisfaction with Goverament By Our Tokio Corresponident.
The recent: dastardly attempt on the lif of Prince Hirohito, Heir the Japanese Throne' the {froquent invasions of the homes of high statesmen by commoners who committed acts of vandalism there find. terrified Cabinet minister: the, loud ories.theard on. all sides dha 0 clans war in Japan is de} finitely on; the antipathy express ed towards the Kiyoura, Cabinet on the ground that it is a Ministry of the privileged. classes: Jamentably boorish scones created on the floor of, the Japanese Diet necessitating. dissolution of the legislative chambers; and, Soviet Republic Japan—all hose things are. raising in the minds of people the question as to whether grave political possibility seg, involving even revolution, are -Yooming on. Japan's horizon, Premier Kiyoura, pu more than one occasion, deplored what he tealled the "drifting of the nation towards flippancy, extravagance and radicalism," and has just call-leaders Christian, and Buddhist alike—to arrest the] rogvers of radicalism and extreme Ideas prevalent in the country and to uplift the nation, spiritually, which, according to him, is the] only way to foster the welfare and] prosperity of the Empire, Vircount Takahashi, ab one time] Premiex and to-day leader of the Aavgent political party in the Fapancwe Lower House, has also] often voiced his fears that revolutionary dangers were looming in a Alistant horizon true, but atill a Shorizon that is nob so distant that ho frurseoing cannot vision it, Ywprniat tavely ReseeCrED, Ta the allegiance that the Japan-ows people untwerviagly, sndtiat, ingly and. unquestioningly - have accorded the Imperial Family on: the wane 98 the result of the Rood of new thought that "rushed -Binco.tho wart T sought n reply to This very" tekdiah" subject-for Japan-—from people in various} walks of lite, from peers abd com> moners, from clerks and edueationints, from avowed conservatives) and blatant radicals, The tonous of opinion. was that such was not the case, that the affection anid esteem in which the nation holds the Reigning House has not} weakened one jot or tittle,—but} that, with the spread of edeation and the broadening of the minds} of the present generation, expecialin the larger cities, thers is no!
the desivo or the feeling to Jock pon the: Imperial Family as]
ino, Tu fact, one man, of, con-Foseed Communist tendencies told ino that the groutest diffcnlty. the! socialists, anarchists and. radicals Tapan were confronted with in spreading their doctrinen'was the Jintenso affection with which the] "general public alluded tothe Reigning House and the obvious} Jove. with which the Imperial House is regarded.
lasses nnd the captains of an-Goneorsativen." the privileged Alustey and finance simply soft at {tho idea that mental change in {Oho attitude of the, people towards the Imperial Family exists, Ono} of these, the Director of. the itenbishi Bank, eaid that it was] absolutely absurd even to imaging} uch a probability, None the less, the admitted that there is more Giscontent in, the country to-day than there has ever tbeon—than f there was oven during the Satsuma] yehellion—and that this discontent} is all the more disconcerting be-"ence it is accompanied with avo of flippancy and recklessness, but declared that no dissatis-jon whatever was felt, towards Reigning House, 'The Im-1 House is the bed-rack on hich ig reared Japan's social, spotitieal and national structure and heroin lies the Importance of] the Tmperial Family to the nation, Tapan is not. Likely' to go ex. steemist—whether this extremism take the form of either Soci ism, Republicanism or Bolshovism—s9) Jong as the present harmonious! relations between. the Ruling! House and the nation in' general innes, and. there ig not. the! slightest eign of the bond of affeetion welding the Throne and the people weakening.
The Japanese have always insisted that, whatever the causes of conflict or friction- between—the governing classes and the govern-€d, the Imperial House should be meticulously guarded from hein embroiled in any political or} social clash. This has always been closely and scrupulously followed tho/ and accounts for why a howling, fighting bedlam, sach as the Lower House of the Japanese Diet was on the last day of Sanunry this year, simply from into silence and attention when the Premier announced that. he had a homage fo be delivered to the Solons from the Prine Regent. The message was an order of dissolution.
YOING: MEGENT'S ATOKER, It has been cdnsdnsively proved, in the course of the preliminary examinations, that Namba, the 24 year-old man who attempted to assassinate the Prince Regent on December 27 when Hix Imperial Highness was proceeding to the Diet, was not connected with any regret society or radical orgahination. Questioned as to why he made th murderous attempt, he replied that it was because he' was} dissatisfied with life, and thought) mich action thy best' moans of attracting attention..'Thé desire to bask in the reflected "glory of] regicide was irresistible. Namba, medical opinion states, is of sound mind, hag been smitten for: years with in incurable—disease and is known to have been of an innately morbid disposition for some years past ax w consequence, ott tot relevant hero to touch briefly on Japanese psychology when it deals with" murder and suicide, The murderer or suicide! '<sspecially the lattor—in Japan always desires to have a compan ion 0 whulling off thiy mortal Thin accounts for the large ibor of double suicides and double shudders in the country. Namba, according to 0 voluntary confession made by him, had deter mined to bid adieu to' life. He found it a ver cold and cheerless Bo, world, expecially after thy earth. quake, Desiring some one' to accompany him to the Velley Beyond, he hit, upon the grandiose chemo of taking along with him the highest in the Jand and at the same time carving for himself niche in history.
Much speculation ie being dulged in now ae to whether Tm perial clameney will commute the death sontonen that is sure to.
on Namba Is the lives of those who the lives of members of the Reigning House. The people generally do not think a reprieve should he granted and many off thoro with whom T have talked expressed the opinion that merey in thin cass would be an error of judgment, PEOPLE VRE CONSERVATIVE, An incident which occurred during: the September' earthquake! gives an insight into the feelings of the lower classes with regard to whether they favour a change in the present social ryatem. Tt occurted in Honjo, a jection. of Tokio where ave the slums, and wher the poorest of the people! live, where, it is not unreasonable to presume, the radical has a more
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.