On the other hand the Japanese profess not to care particularly, Whether the United States fortify their Pacific islands on the expiration of the Washington Naval Agreement. This is strange in view of the insistence of the late Admiral Baron Kato, Japan's chief delegate at the Washington Conference, that unless (he. United States agreed not to tortity the islands, Japan would refuse to enter into "naval limitation agree ment. Of course conditions have changed considerably since 1922 Selence has made tremendous _advances ju submarines and aircraft construction and it may be that the Japanese mean what they say. From what may be learned here in quarters, well-informed regarding the Navy, Japan actually seems now to care very little whether the United States fortifes its Pacific island bases.
What the Japanese are worried about is the building of commercial fair bases in these islands, especially in the Aleutians. This country rea-Hizes that, unlike in the ease of island fortifations, nothing. oF at least very Tittle, can be done about this, matter at forthcoming naval. talks, inasmuch og the bases are for commercial purposes. That these facili ties can be transformed overnight into Air bases for naval purposes is something which none realize more expllcitly than the Japanese.
But what can they do about it? Nothing, it seems, but watch developments with the closest attention.
Foreign Office Reticent Possibility of Attack As: far as the recent British over-tutes are concerned, the Navy Department and the Foreign OMice are very reticent and the latter, particularly, has ventured no comment bayoud denying such sensational and ridiculous stories as that ex-Premier Admiral Viscount Saito, Admiral Osami Nagano and Ambassador Tsuneo Matsudaira are being considered to head the Japanese delegation, Japan, it is pointed out, has not "even decided yet whether to participate in the proposed con-
Naval circles here appreciate most clooply the efforts of England to bring about an understanding and also sympathize with the British position which is, in many ways, the most complex of all naval problems. The various factors which the British must take into consideration are more diverse and of greater complexity than those faced by any other naval power. The Japanese fullly realize this and fect that the eventual inclusion adjunctively of Germany and Russia will probably be necessary from the European viewpoint in the forthcoming naval talks, and it is natural for England to desire bilateral agreements within Europe, but why this scheme should be extended to Japan is dim cult for naval men boce to comprehend.
Tropartite Agreement Wanted Manifestly, according to Japanese authorities, "any accord in "which Japan takes part should be confined to Great Britain and ne United States, Japan secs no objection to Britain continuing her efforts to enter into bilateral agreements with the An interesting point which is bei brought up is the question of Japan's geographical position. Possibly as. means of weakening the British argument, in case of course that England actually offers Japan "equality security"—and "Japan changes its minds about declining to consider matters on this basis—naval experts hhere deny that this country is secure, from attacks from the United States fand Great Britain because of the, compactness of the Japanese Empire compared with the United States and, [Great Britain which have long coast lines and distant possessions. the opinion of Japanese experts that while this country does not have the long and divided coastline of the United Sates. it does have just as far-flung routes of commerce to protect, Industrialized Japan, it is contended, depends for a living on international trade, Moreover, to fortify their stand, some Japanese officers further stress the fact that fleets are able to operate anywhere to-day and that even Russia's Baltic fleet reached the Far JEsst in 1905. So they maintain that naval strength, and not the distance separating countries, determines their offensive and defensive relations.
The naval experts of Great Britain Jand the United States are certainly not likely to concur with these views cannot be imagined that they will, at the forthcoming conference. sign an agreement granting Japan absolute pai As an impartial observer of the situation recently remarked. the central fact to be remembered as far Jas Japan is concerned, is not that the extent of naval power should be.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.