Much too much is being made of the approaching opening of the nearly Singapore Naval Base and the fact that three United States' war vessel will attend in response to an invitation from Great Britain, Japanese opinion is unnecessarily alarmed, for the alleged threat to Japan—which is a figment of imagination—is just as now as it was when it was first decided to create such a base. Its original function was to act as a centre for the defence of British interests in the Far East and the antipodes, and there never has been any suggestion that it would be used as a base for aggression against Japan or any other Far Eastern country. In this connection the "Yomiuri Shimbun" doubts whether the United States is aware of the British Government's "subtle and sinister politics" and hopes that both countries will consider the matter carefully and adopt a policy of "discretion." Of that the journal may rest assured. The American and British policies in the Far East have been followed with the completest discretion and the utmost patience, and if there is any significance whatever in the fact that United States vessels will attend ihe opening of the new naval base, it is to be found in the oft repeated contention that the actions of the their common interests which those actions have constituted, is having the effect of bringing the two nations closer together than they have been for many years past. In this connection American press comment seems nearer the mark. In the event of affairs in the Pacife taking an unfortunate turn there may be ce-operation between the two great Powers, though there is no apparent basis for the statement by the "New York American" to ihe effect that the two nations have agreed upon joint action if war is forced upon either One of them by Japan. Such. an agreement would be entirely alien to the spirit which has inspired American foreign policy throughout the whole of its history, for it would amount to: a defensive alliance such as has never been arranged between the two nations. The only point, and it is one which more nearly concerns Japan than the Japanese journal seems to realize, is that war Ri the Pacific can and will only come through Japanese initiative, and the responsibility rests fairly and squarely upon her.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.