Fears of Change of Policy Unfounded: Strict Adference to Principal of Predecessors; Political Ever nts in Japan aes' Ove Own, Tokyo, Feb, 12.
Phe'ifeequent comments in the Chinese press relative to the new Premier of Japan and the fear, that Mr, Wakatsuki may. not be as Jenient towards the Cwinese as was the Into Count Kato has oceasionila fresh statement to be. issued by the Japanese Foreign Office to the at the new" Premier wilh ready announced, that it will cleave to the policies of the late Count, Kato," declares the Foreign Office statement, "and it go% saying that Japan, will continue to be friendly with China, not mere-Ly in words but also in deeds. There is no need for China to fear that] the policy of this country towards her will undergo any drastic changes Mr, Wakatsuki, as a matter of fact, wre wedded to the conciliatory policy of Haven Shideharay the For~ Cign Minister, than was -'the Tate Count Kato, As a result, the loxitimate aspirations of China will be encouraged by Japan who will al-Ways endeavour, whenever hsueh is feasible, to give China every' poss ble aid' to set her house in order."
A Radical Ovtrage Two nights ago, 2 gang of some 30 youthful anarchists sauntered down the Ginza, Tokyo's principal Shopping street, and, at a given signal, commenced to smash shopwindows. The police were rush~ ed to the scene of the outrage, andy after miniature battle that lasted About half-an-hour, 12 of the rut tians were arrested while the others yan away. The damage done is tentimated to be about two thousand yen.
Speculations vary as to what prompted this outrage, Tt is known that, earlier in the afternoon, these! pink parlour Bolshevists wanted to hold a meeting. The police for-dade them from doing so, but, the! radicals refused to heed the official order, and the police broke the meeting up. It is believed that the young radicals, enraged, staged this outrage by way of giving vent to} their fodings.
On the other hand there are those who believe that this is not so simple: fas the police would have the public Believe and that the smashing of shop-windows on the Ginza was intended to draw police attention to.
it of the city, while a regular "Red" meeting, at which the real Teaders of the Bolsheviks here pated, was held in the mean-tiny Yesterday two members of the Seiyu Honto and a member of the Seiyukai put questions to the Pre-mice regarding the deplorable occurrence. Both thought they saw in it the "beginning of a revolutionary movement", attacked the police severely and wound up by Gemanding that the Wakatsul Ministry assume full responsibility for the affair and resign. As a precedent, they cited the instances where, after what is now, known 2s) the "Toranomon _incident"—when Namba tried to shoot the Prince Regent two years ago—the Yam: more Ministry immediately resigned The Diet men, howe overlook the fact that this affair is far from being as serious as was the Torauomon affair.
The Premier, in reply, admitted that the affair was a serious one when a gang of youthful rowdies go about smashing public property in a country that is supposed to be law-abiding, but refused to attach the exaggerated importance: that the opposition seem determined to tag on to the affair.
The papers generally treat the gr og far from being really} iz ndt, since the earthquake and the recent widespread unemployment sitation. that-may,. in course of time, become a clove parallel to what preceded the French Revolution, the the. Kenscikaj (the " Government] Party), the cause of this.being the office of Home Minister, which, next to the Premiership, is regarded as the sweetest of the Cabinet plums.
Mr. Wakatsuki, the present Pre, mier, was Home Minister under th: Tete 'Count Kato and, since his} elevation to the post of captain of Japan's, ship of state, has held. botd offices. He will have, however, to find a new Minister' of Home Affairs and hence the nascent internal reve! K camp. Two candidates, are after the job—Mr. Hamaguchi, Finance Minister, and Inv, Adachi, Minister of Commnications.
Both of supporters. Those who Mr, Hamaguchi should have the place point out that, when the Kensel kai were deliberating whom to] appoint in the place of the late} Couint Kato and. Mr, Wakatsuki refused at first to consider the job, the general consensus of opinion was that Mr, Hamaguchi should get the premiership. They now argue that, if Mr, Hamaguchi was thought fi to. be Premier, then surely the next most important offic of Home Minister..,. ought to be given te him.
Supportersof Mr. Adachi, on the other hand, say that he is' cover sant with the affairs of the election] districts from alpha to omega and] the Kennent, Mi the place. Whether Mr, Adachi's knowledge is 0 widespread, is a doubtful affair, but he is generally. referred to, in' the vernacular press as the "God of] Elections".
Exorcising The Devits Yesterday (February: 3) all Japan ate veristed peas, vent tered the: here and there in' their houses and] gardens, and drove off all evil There was much were, being] country folks didn't merely seativs the peas but} Vfiung them vith full not only Lut also to February 3 jo known etsubun"—the last day of the!
an" (or Winter) which "great cold" Insts from the middle January Setsuban, Householders very seriously throw roasted peas all over the at the s ame time shouting: "Oni-wasotte; Fukudevils; This house In the country die tricts, it 13 really a prayer..a proj for a luckier und more prosperous New Year, for the country distriete the calendar, also the day when in Sanam ie inereasear. That is to suppose yon wore burn on Decem= ber it be 25 until on February:
4, your computed ne 26, This accounts for the disparity in boob and "Who's Who's" ing Japanese ages
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.