The Heathen Japanee

The recent Japanese cabinet upheaval, which tossed out procrastinating Prince Konoye because of his "failure to reach an understanding with the United States" and gave military and political power to General Eiki Tojo, has set the stage for further aggression whenever Nippon feels the time is ripe. The island is now completely dominated by the military extremists, advocates of total war mobilization in the Pacific and close cooperation with the Nazis. Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo even has a German wife. However, the new cabinet has not committed itself to a definite program but will probably watch developments in Eastern Russia very carefully. The last vestige of any friends-with-the-U.S. sentiment has disappeared with Konoye, the brake is off, and the road has been cleared for a drive on Vladivostok, Singapore, or the Dutch East Indies. The streamlined Tojo cabinet is designed to eliminate those precious moments of discussion between the soldiery and the government which always prevent immediate action when the opportunity arises.

Japan's abandoning of the peace talks, however, is no dramatic change of policy. Files of our State Department are jammed with documents and correspondence exchanged between both countries during the past few years. These show frequent indignation on the part of the United States over such incidents as the Panay sinking, whereupon "profound apologies" are received from the honorable Japanee. Her polite "go to hell" attitude was forsaken during the short life of the Soviet-Nazi pact when Japan, fearful of this unexpected move on the part of her traditional enemy, found it wise to turn smilingly to America. Despite all talk of economic sanctions, we continued to help both aggressor and aggressee by loans to China to enable Chiang Kai-shek to carry on his part of the war, and by huge shipments of materials to the invader as well. Since 1937, the American market has been the single most important adjunct of Japan's war machine, enabling the destructive military operations to be continued on an evergrowing scale.

Between 1937 and 1939 (later figures have been difficult to collect), merchandise sold to the United States supplied Japan with over a billion dollars in foreign exchange. Japanese imports from America during this same period have aggregated somewhat more than 800 million dollars, of which over 500 million have consisted of materials essential for war purposes. Although last August the United States shut off exports of aviation fuel to Japan, Nipponese officials claim that American and Dutch concerns have stocked her with enough gasoline for a year. Furthermore, rumors are of ten heard that our oil companies are still sending crude fuel which is cracked upon arrival. We are still shipping scrap iron, tin plate, cotton, aluminum, lumber, and hides, and are still buying silk.

The United States' policy appeasement and wrist-slapping, brings up shades of Chamberlain at a time when we should abandon our present attitude for a definite warning to Japan backed up by the guns of our Pacific fleet. Our two-faced stand in the Far East will not help us in the least. From Tokyo yesterday came assurances that if we would like to make a few more concessions, a conflict with Japan could easily be avoided. These "concessions" would amount practically to a desertion of Great Britain. But we know that Japan will continue to act as she sees fit, with no regard for American interests. The cabinet shift has placed her even more solidly on the Axis. If Russia collapses, an attack on Siberia would be only the preface to further expansion in the East Indies. We can't appease Japan any more than we can appease Germany. It's time for us to draw a line, and if they cross it, to shoot. The more strongly we assert this, the less chance there is of our actually having to fight it out.

A number of Crimson readers have expressed interest in the letter from Lieut, Chrisman of the U. S. Navy, which was published yesterday. To accomodate them, and any others who want to send books to sailors in naval hospital ships, the Crimson will arrange to have the books forwarded to the correct destination. Bring your books or magazines to the editorial office of the Crimson any time within the next week. We will send them on to Lieut. Chrisman