Show 1 'D in open as a more have Americans a tcachr currents the main tntmaie understanding of of Japanese Ufe than he in ths artde he ds as a friend of Japan nho feels that her uttra-r- r ltarrt policy completely misrepresents the true feetng of her people rt noit of hi If c By James A B Scherer Author of “Japan Defes the World' is alwaj risky but no than a PROPHECY seemsif thesurerundeclared JaP" ar fails in To begin with it wa largely to escape revoRtlon tii at the militarists tock the army oer there There ai a rift in the army itself the Its officers may roughly be divided into as ho are ml tary and the militarists The latter intensified military men while outnumbered by the former held the reins of power But they are so greedy for more power that to seize they began plotting icaen years ago control of the government 1931 three militarist generals In March force the cleaa plotted to seize parliament and of ere of their number to the premiership Out one of the mldcr generals then command Jr- the Tint Dvislon whose business it was to" guard Tcklo got wind of the plot and d I J" nuli-tm’Scv en months later a larger party 'of and virtually plotted to go to the Palace a general compd die Emperor himself to name the because failed premier Tills second plot raj'rlty of the party were sincere Emperor wcr'h pers unwiihng to coerce Hu Majesty Here Hzan the cleavage in the army two being" t! zrcafter known as Errreror-wor- I The s' trj p7 excellenc e—- and F a’dsts r were and are designing Errpcicr-wots sirrs ret devout seeking power at any prce the support of J Japar'e f ascists had Mitsui Mitsubishi the 7 Four IT barrm-shurr tetrs and Yauda — who in contrast to C3pitl Xvfltb cur SXty ccntrr 1 about IhK of Japan outuJe of the Errpcrcr It was the leader of these Fascists Gen Juo Mmam who I rouzht the army pcttmg cut ir to tie cpn On Aug 4 1931 as mm i ter of war he addressed the annual meeting of divie end commanders at Tcklo m a bold speech on among liberals through P a! spread cut the Fra ire rhiitena ng as it did all soldiers to rally to him for direct action in Manchuria !n ts H-J- s r-o- - — ccn-tein- ONE a! north and speed cumbed to the Fascists at the War Office and returned to their barracks lini of Japan This was as solemn a notice of impending Back home however his startling appeal for revolution as any country ever had direct action in 1931 caused unexpected reper The Fascist leaders now thoroughly cussions alarmed after a long series of tricky maneuA band of junior officers took advantage of vers resolved on rushing the “undeclared war it to vent their opposition to what they called on China which they had been planning but “a private army’ By this they meant an army for which they were not yet prepared directed by a few ambitious generals in colluBut before resorting to this expedient they sion with the Four Big Families to seize more saw three Cabinets fall The first one headed territory on the Asiatic mainland so as to satisfy issue by Hirota was overthrown on the clear of the former and make the rich the power-lus- t Gerfour-fiftof Fascism brought to light through the richer while the peasant fathers of man Pact liberalism triumphed here but its of the army bear the staggering costs of milir A Fascist general triumph was short-live- d tansm to the literal serge of starvation now became Premier but to the credit of his Egged on by a fiery farmer and a militant tarcolleagues be it said his character was so the famous priest these junior officers staged nished by plotting even they opposed him Premier May 15 incident of 1932 which killed So in January 1937 still another Fascist Inukii and threatened Tokio with seizure been general became Premier a man who had These boys when put on tnal turned their conin forced to resign from the war ministry dock into a pulpit from svhich aided by the of the prethe sufsequence of “the enormous incident” press they preached to the people on felt ceding February but whom his colleagues ferings o f the farmers and the evils of a priHayashi he they could control Gen Senjuro sate army” ‘ of the “handlebar mustaches” Meanwhile however the Manchurian adthe Desiring to please his Fascist colleagues and venture had so far succeeded as to excite advance the Fascist cause by regularizing them and a people with a sense of military triumph and it at the polls he defied parliament by disfalse hope of national wealth from a puppet solving it thus necessitating a general election continued territory But cleavage in the army which he foolishly hoped and boasted would under cover breaking suddenly into light with return an overwhelming majority of army depuMajor-Generthe murder of the ties and thus endorse a militaristic program in fanatical the 1935 in by August Nagata China Aizawa Lieutenant-ColonEmperor-worshipThe people answered When thq votes were Aizawa’s trial during the following Februcounted he discovered to his amazement and to air his grievcounsel his utilized was by deary the dismay that his army program had been ances against “a private army” and as in feated by a vote of 30 to 11 carMay 15 incident of 1932 the newspapers Let this be remembered to the credit of the ried his agrarian pleadings to the people s Japanese people They are subjected now to On Feb 26 1936 the day after Aizawa a war psychosis from which no people is imcounsel had broadcast fiery pleadings throug mune But while they were still free and sane the press virtually calling for a revolution left murthey demonstrated overwhelmingly that if 1400 soldiers broke barracks in Tokio to themselves they wish nothing more than to dered Japan's two most famous statesmen and live at peace among themselves and with their of military educathe Fascist inspector-generthe neighbors tion attempted to murder the Premier and “Handlebar Hayashi” held out as Premier the parliament Emperor's chamberlain seized as long as he could after his terrific humiliation of the Prebuilding and the official residence the polls and then gave way to Prince Ko-noat on the machine guns mounted fortresses mier as A Fascist masquerading as a liberal this roof of live parliament building and held Tokio tool of prince has been little more than the in a state of siege for several days Minami operating by leader-shi- p Japan’s But the country boys lacked efficient remote control from his Korean stronghold and after terse days when all Japan was sue- Konoye came in early in June of last year threatened with a bloody civil war they (Copyright 1938 by EveryWeek Magazine) ernor-gener- 14 days after this "the Manchurian incident” and mu!u d m the setting up of a of pup ft errpnc with the former Emperor begin Chna rn 'ts thicre h it ever since been the dominating M power in llie Japanese army and now as gov of Korea is the concealed Musso- al hs arch-Fasci- j There will be this authority believes unless the war in China is won For the war was begun to avert trouble at home and if it ends in defeat the militarist clique must pay the penalty and on July 7 “the undeclared war” began a state of emerOnce more as in Manchuria of gency!’ was created by the simple expedient law starting onfe when the military becomes a to itself But Minami felt forcedj to act before he was ready In brief Japan’s militarists staked everoff impendything! a desperate throw to ward wreak their time ing revolution and at the same will on China but through feeling forced to act hastily they lost the expected advantage of a swift and successful attack The Chinese have thus far held them with a bravery and a vigor that astonish the world if these militaristic back from an unsubbillions jugated mainland? How explain the of yen squandered? How atone for the thousands of slain peasants sons? How account for Japan’s supposedly invincible army being unable to prevail against a despised “Chinese will happen WHAT have to come rabble”? If Japan missed revolution by a hair I breadth in February 1936— and she didhow can it possibly be avoided should the Chinese incursion fail? The soldiers themselves will be the revolutionaries and after much bloodshed and suffering the Japanese people will be free PROVIDED Japan’s undeclared war fails If it succeeds Japan will plunge headlong on a career of world conquest that with her militarists is a downright obsession From my study of Japanese history and Japanese militarists of present-da- y knowledge I feel convinced that if Japan does conquer as China she will not be absorbed still fondly hope but that with modem mechanization and administrative methods inbecome a deadly cluding propaganda she will this hemismenace to the world not excluding phere Therefore for the sake of my own people I hope for as well as the people of Japan revolution Japan’s defeat and for a Japanese old-time- rs 7 - al st el er al ye arch-militar- ist in Japan 8(£°wing these warlords have been potent factors Handle- Gen Senjuro at defeat the A taught polls crushing nationalism wants peace Assassina-ba- r Havashi left that the average Japanese i center led to a military revolt in Tokio tion of Gen Tetsuzan Nagata of governor-generMinami “Mussolini” of the Far East is Gen Jiroof the war right in China Korea chief instigator Arrh-Fascis- ts al r:i 0 O HU nio1 rt j 4 |