Though such action has been threatened on several occasions, it has not yet been taken, because, as was shown in the Changkaofeng affair, Japan has so far been desirous of avoiding war with Russia. It is likely also that such drastic action will continue not to be taken until Japan has set in order her affairs in China, Some observers expect this fisheries ques tion will be the immediate cause, eventually, of the next Russo-Japanese war, which most well-informed people agree is inevitable, the only question being, when, There are plenty of other things, however, which could bring on the explosion.
It will be recalled that Mr. Arita had to leave office when the Imperial Diet forced the resignation, nearly two years ago, of the Hirota cabinet, in which Mr. Arita was Minister for Foreign Affairs. The conduct of foreign affairs was one of the causes of the Diet's dissatisfaction with Mr. Hirota's government. Mr. Arita had negotiated a new fisheries agreement with Russia, but before the latter had finally ratified it, which it was about to do, Mr. Arita revealed in confidence to the Soviet Ambassador in Tokyo, it was alleged, the impending conclusion of the Japan-German anti-Comintetn pact.
The: Ambassador, Mr. Yurenev, promptly informed this to his Government, which at once refused to have anything more to do with the agreement, This was toward the end of 1936. The affair caused Mr. Arita to be bitterly criticized in the Diet. The full truth about the whole matter has never been made public, and many people think Mr. Arita was treated very unjustly, Anyway, the highest quartets repose full confidence in Mr. Arita as he is now in office again, and trying hard to get the Soviet Government to sign a fresh fisheries agreement.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.