New York, Jan. 15.
Although surprised by the selection. of Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai as the new Japanese Premier, political observers here believed today that the new cabinet would not make negotiations for the conclusion of a commercial pact between the United States and Japan more difficult.
Various contingencies made it impossible to predict what effect the Cabinet change would have on Japanese-American relations, the observers The Imperial choice of Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai as Premier designate on the recommendation of senior statesmen has apparently come to the general public as an agreeable surprise, according to a Japanese report.
Following Prince Fuminaro Ko-nove's persistent refusal to accept the offered premiership, Mr. Kuharei Yuasa, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, and other senior statesmen first decided to recommend General Hata, who was, however, not in a-position to accept the offer, owing to the contention of Army circles that"no general on active service should organize the Cabinet, as Premier.
"As the irony of fate has it," the "Asahi Shimbun" says, "the very man who had advocated hands off politics on the part of the Navy, has now been commanded by the Emperor to form a Cabinet.
The newspaper, however, admits that Admiral Yonai would have been candidate No. 1 if the Navy had been asked to select a candidate for premiership from among naval leaders.
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.