Tt is but natural that political circles in Tokyo should show irritation over the fact that an accord between Great Britain and Italy is on the verge of signature. The accession of Japan to the Rome-Berlin axis was welcomed with much rejoicing when the fact became known, but the passage of time has shown that it had within it the seeds of weakness. Germany sees ther trade in China wrecked by the third party to the new bloc. She is not likely to be overenthusiastic concerning Japanese policy in this country for that reason. So far as the hoped for accord between Great Britain and Italy is concerned, it has to be said that the cordial relationship between the two countries ought never to have been allowed to deteriorate in the manner that it has, and if the two nations can get back to somewhere near the old cor-duality, it will prove a valuable contribution to world peace. That need not necessarily mean that Japan will be entirely forsaken by her new friends. It may mean that they will regard her actions with a rather more critical eye than they have during the past few months, and may diminish the moral support which Tokyo fancied it would obtain when it signed up with Berlin and Rome. If these facts tend towards securing modification of Japan's policy towards China, the removal of sources of irritation between Britain and Italy should have a direct influence upon the subject of peace in Asia. That tendency would be even greater if it were possible for Britain to secure an early settlement of its differences with the German Reich. Germany has paid and is paying æ very high price for Japanese adherence to the Anti-Komintern Pact. Its attempt to mediate in the Sino-Japanese conflict was undoubtedly inspired by that fact, and, if she is expected to continue consenting to the destruction of this valuable portion of her foreign trade, she is likely to look very coldly upon these Japanese adventures on the Asiatic mainland.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.