Tokyo, Feb. 9
Asked by a foreign correspondent to-day whether the inquiry about Japan's naval plans was "reasonable" or Whether it was taken as an affront, the spokesman of the Foreign Office declined to reply Acceleratión of the programme for strengthening Japan's air force, "in View of the remarkable growth of military aviation abr: 5 urged in the Diet yesterda Gen, Gen Sugiyama, War Minis The čurrent China incident, he d clared, has greatly enhanced the importance of air force in national defence.
Gen. Sugiyama declared "it would be inevitable for Japan to expand her armaments in view of the tense international situation in general, and the rearming of Soviet Russia and China in particular." Disarmament, he said, is "extremely dim cult unless and until international relations have been fundamentally rectified."
He emphasized the necessity of replenishing not only armaments but national resources as well, "not for the purpose of invading and occupying enemy territory, but for the Maintenance of peace by preparing ample armaments."—Domei, "Asahi" on "Act of Arrogance The Foreign Office and the Ministry of the Navy have drafted Japan's replies, "rejecting the unreasonable demand" of the three Powers, says the "Asahi Shimbun" to-day, The phraseology of the three replies is slightly different, it reveals, but the essential points zre the same ju substance.
The "Asahi Shimbun" version of the draft reply follows:— summarized 1. Japan has not participated in the Advance Notification Clause of the London Naval Treaty, of 1996, and is, therefore, unde obligation whatsoever to notify the Powers of her naval plans, The invocation of the Escalator Clause of the Treaty is, rather, an "act of arrogance which isa matter of concern to the Imperial Government.
2. Japan's policy of autonomous armament, based on non-menace and hon-aggression, remains unchanged. Japan is ready at any time. to enter discussion on qualitative limitation, provided the quantitative issue is settled first Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.