Tokyo, Feb. 15.
The United States navy does not constitute a threat to Japan at the present time but if plans for expansion which are now before Congress are enacted into law, the resulting sea force will be a "considerable menace" to this nation, according to a recent article appearing in the "Japan Times Weekly.
The author of the article is Mr.
Masanori Ito, described as Japan's foremost civilian naval authority. Mr Ito isa newspaperman who has travelled widely and is the author of several works on naval construction and strategy.
The American navy, the writer says, is unbalanced at present and although its tonnage ratio to Japan is five to three in actual strength it is only four to five. This is due to classifying obsolete ships as first-line craft which in warfare would impede rather than aid a fleet, Ito says. The United States could fight a successful naval war with Japan he goes, on only if she increases and improves her destroyers.
When ships which are now nearing completion in American shipyards, are at sea "it will be possible to stage a battle for about a week in the waters near Japan after refueling at Wake or Midway," Ito asserts.
He concludes that the United States Navy is fully capable of defending its continental shores now, but that any further expansion sanctioned by the present Congress will raise the American navy to a position where it will be able to attack as well as defend and "Japan will be forced to cope with "United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.