Tokyo, Apr. 14.
Indications that the Navy element in Japan, dissatisfied with the results of the London conference, endeavouring to prevent ratifica "-of the pact continue to accumulate. Groups' of Chauvinists in both Houses of the Japanese Diet, pledge to render the Navy mien every possible assistance against the Government, have, according to vernacular press, reinforced this calcitrant element. In the time, the Navy is assiduously spree ing propaganda designed to discredit the results of the London conference and to force Admiral Takarabé to resign his post, on the ground that ihe has not been faithful to his promises and has failed to uphold the ment in this matter was briefly out-Jined to your correspondent. high official there. Before he lett for London, said "this informant, Admiral Takarabé promised Admiral Count Togo and other high naval men, who had decided on the minimum "Japan should demand, that, rather than sacrifice one jot or title'of these claims, he would soon-or throw up his job and return home, [Mu addition to naval experts, there were members of the House of]
Peers, members of the House of Representatives, businessmen and _Acholars present at the function at which Admiral Takarabé made this pledge. the spokesman continued, and, since he had "failed dismally" to conserve the three points on] which the Japanese Navy had been insistent-—namely, 70 per cent. of] the total auxiliary strength of the United States, 70 per, cent. of the -ton cruisers mounting eight given to the United States, and a submarine tonnage of 72,000—"we believe that he should quit his post."
'The Navy Department is also aoeking to enlist the press on its side' and every day, in one paper or mother, isan article, obviously in-"upired by the Japanese Admiralty, the burden of which is that the defences of the country have been gravely impaired through the agreement reached at London and that ceptance of any treaty on these lines! would be tantamount to catastrophe.
ell-printed pamphlets, expressing' this view of the conference, ha also been distributed to all members Parliament and no one doubts.the: authorship of these pamphlets. For the present, this propaganda.
Ioads all the blame for the alleged deficiencies in Japan's defences: which would result from the London Japan's "total of large cruisers would be below the 70 per cent. ratio which the Navy believes to be the minimum compatible with' Japan's sea-defence and to enable Japan to have unquestioned su-[primacy in the water of East Asia.
Although the Lower House of the Japanese Diet has nothing to do with regard to treaties—the con-delusion and ratification of these being a prerogative of the Throne—the Lower House can, nevertheless, express its opinion on the matter, and it may be taken for grant ed that the Opposition will make things very hot for the Ministry, especially as the Seiyukai (Opposition) in order to embarrass. the Government, has signified its intention of acting in conjunction with, the Navy Department. This. cooperation, it is declared by. those conversant with what is going on behind the scenes, will take the form of alarming As regards ratification of pact, the press generally is opinion that the Privy Council, whose duty it is to advise the Throne on matters of this sort, will not dare to counsel His Bfajesty not to append the Imperial seal a to the document. It will, however, make the going very hard for the Premier and his official family; but this, responsible papers point out, is rather to get even with the Min-saito (the present Government party) because, when once before in power, the Minseito actually' sought to indict the Privy Counci for dereliction of duty. The ese Privy Council is a unique stitution. Tt ix really the Supreme Advisory Board created in accordance with the provisions in. the constitution, but ju practice it is really an office reserved for retired dignitaries. Their rank is exalted, bat they assume no responsibility; nevertheless they can, and often do, interfere with the machinery of the Government. The Minseito has for long contended that such an anomalous state of affairs should cease, lund with its present absolute majjorin the Lower House. The Gove ernment is known to be contemplat~ ing the reform and reorganization the Privy Council and making it responsible to the Legislature. 'This the Privy Council is deter. mined to fight tooth and nail, and it is another of the reasons' why the present Ministry is so dislike ed by the Council. conference at the doors of Admiral]
Takarabé, The object of the Navy; partment is to exploit public feel-"Ging and to create a storm of popular indignation, inthe hope that this will grow to such dimensions that, by the time Admiral Takarabé returns to Japan, there will be a sgoneral clamour for him to resist By striking at Admiral Takarabé, the Navy men expect to hurt the Ministry and to precipitate a Gabinet crisis.
Reports were current in Tokyo today that Admiral Takarabé would Jeave London for Japan to-morrow, before the rest of the delegation. Those reports added that he would return to Japan overland, via Berlin and Moscow, and would be here while the extraordinary session of the Diet i sitting. Admiral 'Takarabé has for long been worried with bronchitis and this ailment, it 48 said, became aggravated while' was in England, $0 that it is possible he will postpone his return to Japan and spend some time in a Buropean sp Yesterday, _Vice-Admiral Sutesug, assistant chief of the Naval General Staff, who fow days ago addressed representatives of all factions in the House of Peers as regards why the Navy felt that it could not subserible to the Reed.
Matsudaira compromise plan, was invited by the House of Peers to explain the Navy's stand once again, He declared that, even though the Navy Department intended to expand the air arm of tthe service, it was his opinion, and that of other naval experts, ti even so, the shortage in submarines could not be made good by an increase of aircraft, due to the fact that submarines' have a much wider cruising radius than aeroplanes. Another point emphasized by him was that, after 1933, The more progressive section of the press agrees with the Government in regarding reform of the Privy Council as indispensable for the furtherance of constitutional the majority it possesses "to" keep the Privy Council within its preseribed province at least." "We do not have the slightest misgiving," says, gard to ratification of the nay treaty are typical of those expressed by many another metropol organ, "that the ill-feeling between the Government and the—Privy'
will affect the ratification agreement on _armanient Vimitation reached at London. If, this agreement is made a football lof polities, as was the case with the Kellogg-Briand pact, such would have a very undesirable effect foreign affairs and would redound to the discredit of Japan. The nal question of such vital importance should not be governed by the arbitrary will of a special office which has nothing to do directly with public welfare. If the ratifiea~ tion of the treaty is held up, and we repeat that we have no mis ings on this score, then the Privy: Council has signed its own death warrant. The public must see that goes. of else that it is so. reorganized that arbitrariness is completely eliminated and this office made responsible to the Legis-
Moscow, Apr. 23:—The official Tass Agency announces that the lasing of the track of the 1,000-mile Tarkestan-Siberia_ Railway has been completed.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.