When" Commodore Perry first mocked at the closed doors. of; Japan, this country's "navy" then consisted of what would pass in the 'West as good fishing schooners, but Japan soon saw that, if she was to rise to the level of the others, it would be necessary to don the trappings of Western nations and, out of the humiliation she then felt' that the "foreign "barbarian" was far superior to her, grow the resolve to strain every' muscle and sinew until she reached a like proud position, The work of making for Japan really modern navy began in 1872, under a mission from Britain, Progress was very slow at first. For one thing, there was not the mad race for naval armament that capital ships, [while others were on the stocks, To-day Japan has only ten capital shipg, as a result of the Washington [Conference. As regards other craft, however, experts aay that her position is about the same as it w: fast prior to the Washington Con-nce. One thing the grand naval review emphasized was the relativoly greater strength of the Japanese Navy for defending its own shores fand the relatively weaker position she is in to undertake any aggressive adventures, even if she feels {inclined gg do so. With the tion of battleships and battle-cruise-Jers, all other units of the Japanese Navy have been greatly increased Jwhen compared with 1919.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.