Tokyo, May 17.
As the result of Police investigation of the bomb outrage at the house of Mr, Inouye, Finance Minister, on May 3 a man named Tadashi Takabatake, a member of reactionary. organization opposed to the London Naval Treaty and also opposed to Government} economic policy, has confessed his guilt, "About 20 of his accomplices have been detained and further investigations are proceeding. day 18, Further investigations into the bomb outrage at the haute of Mr. Inouye, the Finance 'Minister, on May' 8, appear to Indicate that it was one of several plots. to inti-date the members of the present Cabinet. ton conference and the London naval parley, the strength of the. Navy fas been considerably reduced from what it_was toon after the bugles Sang trace in Europe, bat no such international conferences have been eld as rogurds land forees with the erutt that, hile the Navy had' reduced" in accordance with pled:
entered" into. by. treaty "andi reasonableness had been imposed on the land forces. The consequence is that, to-day, there is a great disproportion between the approptiations demanded by the Army and ithe expenditure of the Navy and this, despite the fact that in Japan, jas in Britain and Amer regarded as the Japanese frankly experience qualms fof anxiety when it comes to m ques-jon of making reductions in the Navy since they, like other maritime nations whose life is "on the sea, in the sea and from the sea"
Premier MacDonald declared in his speech with regard to Great Britain during the London naval conferenee—regard the Navy as their bulwark and sheet-anchor. Thus, Japanese reluctance to effect big. reductions "in the fighting] strength of the Navy can very well bbe understood and even sympathized with, But all classes of Japanese regard the Army as being much too under present-day. conditions Jand sanguinely hoped' that some real reduction would be made. Thei Aisappointment, as mirrored in the Press, is both great and real, especially. as\ the paltry" eight. million by some minor readjust-to be Te-appropriated for military purposes.
'Then, there is another theory ax to why' the Army authorities do not desire to make any drastic reduction at present. There is some talk lof the necessity to maintain large land forces in view of the numerous soldiery possessed by China and the Soviet Union. That, however, would seem to be only a plausible pretext, the real" reason being that the Japanese military authorities have their eyes fixed on the 1952 Disarme amene Conference and desire. attend it with such strength already {in their possession as may enable them to do some good jockeying: and nanceuvring in the bargaining. that is bound to take place.
According to the Jiji, known 'Tokyo's "home paper" erally reliable and reasonable organ, Japan's military expenditure is, the highest inthe' world. This paper ives the following statistics which it claims is culled from the latest]
Tu etch instance, including the bomb incident, there was apparent: Ty'no intention of committing Der Sonal violence, The object seems
alarm, ieMbave can' merely" to" Greate When the bom exploded inside the residence of Mx. Inouye windows Were shinshed, but litle other Gamage was done and there were ensualties, Tt ip now revealed That the day following the explosion, Mr. Inouye received package Sntimating that the dagger might de ing a. dagger with 'a mote
WseTOl asa life preserver against the attacks on his life The figures for the United States! Jare not given as they are held to be so, low as to be "almost negliible."
This paper goes on to say editriaily that these returns alone Jshow that there is ample room for Japan to cut down her military expenditure and to utilize the money thus saved for better purposes, Another interesting speculation! made is in regard to where the war is likely to the Supreme ud Chief of The police have traced the sender this parcel. Like 'Tadashi Taka-Datake, the man who it reported to have confessed his suilt in. connec: Vion with the bomb outrage, he is Also a member of & reactionary oF-ion opposed to. the London 'Treaty' and to the Government economic poliey-
An attempt wag made by another reactionary to make a direct appeal to the Throne against the removal of the gold ban and the Naval Treaty, bur this was checked by the Tokyo, May 18.
Takahata Tadashi has confessed that he hurled. the "bomb Gamiaged the official residence of tr, Sunmosuke Inouye, the Mnister of mance. on, May's, the tempt. to wreck Mr. Inouy No feasualtics were caused sin sum home at the—United Press. broiled will "necessitate military operations over a far wider stretch of country than was the case during the Russo-Japanese war and that Japan must be prepared for such 'The paper, however, laugh at the notion that Japan is' likely to become embroiled in such a war in the near future as will necessitate extensive military operations on her Part. These declare that the military authorities have lamentably {failed to size up the present world situation in its proper perspective and that, even if another war breaks out—the most probable place given as Europe—and if Japan is in-Volved, Japan will not need to employ land forces on any big scale, fas was the case in the last war.
All the papers unite in pointing Jout that the power of a State today and its prestige hinge on its economic power, rather than on military or naval, strength.
"The strength of a state," says ithe Nichi Nichi (Daily News), "is
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.