Tokyo, July 20-
'A specia? committee has been con. voked by the Government to revise the present Conscription Law. It is. still in session, but a general plan has already been taid down. The number of Army Divisions was out by four the year before Inst, and no further reduction is contem-Piprevious to 1024, there were 21 lated at present,
divisions, consisting of 16,74¢ officers and 219,260 men, With four divisions eliminated, the peace-time strength of the Japanese Army to-ay is 198,800, These are itemized as follows:— to have the youth of the nation ready for an "emergency." It is believed that, with the training they receive at schools and a few months? further training, these boys will be fit for the field and that the reserve of Japan will be more than doubled.
Thus the new scheme has a very real bearing on Japan's preparedness for war. The size of the standing army has been reduced, but newer weapons have been introduc ced; while Instead of 100,000 men receiving a soldier's training as in former years, now six times thet number Feceive some sort of a phyical and military training, furnish. ing a very valuable reserve in time of need.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.