Tokyo, July 19.
Belief that Japan will answer Great Britain's retention of 40,000 tons of jevercage destroyers by "retaining fever-age submarines was expr today by naval observers, The Foreign Office has as yet received no formal notification from the British Government regarding its intention to invoke the escalator clause of the London Naval Treaty, but such a notice is expected to be received here to-day or to-morrow.
The notification, Gaimusho officials said, would be referred to the Navy 'OMce for study, before a reply to London is drafted.
Japan's retention of over-age submarines, naval observers said, would be entirely in agreement with the spirit of the London Treaty and would in no way threaten the securily of the United States or Great Britain, 'The Japanese Government, they, however, predicted would object to the British proposal to threat the cruisers of the Hawkins type as lass vessels, as such a step would form a violation of the' Treaty: Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.