'Japan's War Minister, regarding Japanese army possibilities in China' must arouse considerable speculation. Speaking in the Tokyo House of Representatives, the War Minister said that fu-tue "developments will determine whether Japan will transfer her standing" army to China and Manchoukuo, but he refused to elaborate on this statement when questioned and the only Indication of intentions ho preferred to give was a negative answer to the Jquestion whether military expenditure will decrease next year. There are two conjectures fo be drawn from the Minister's statement, Either the military situation is so unfavour-Jable that reinforcements are needed from Japan to cope with the difficulties, or it is the plan of the Japanese General Siaff, from a point of view of eflciency and perhaps economy, permanently to base the regular army in Ching and Manchoukuo. Japan has nothing to fear from invasion for the time being, and the new Navy replenishment programme is designed on so elaborate a scale as to meet the building programmes of the United States, Great Britain, Russia and other Powers and will fenable' Japan to maintain hegemony in the Pacific. Committed up to the hilt in the "New Order in East Asia" plan, China and Manchou kuo must monopolize the' bulk of her attention if the paltry results already achieved are to be increased to proportions worthy of the effort. The consequences of the action envisaged by the War Minister are not dificult to perceive. Some mantis ago, Japan announced a basis of peace terms with 'China and, while' offering to surrender extraterritorial rights in a specious
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.