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Show Japan Non-cooperative Japan baa been asked to give promise that she will not, without with-out disclosing her intention, build battleships over 35,000 tons during dur-ing the next five years. Since her refusal means not only another an-other rls In Income tax of Japanese, Jap-anese, but everyone else, the reason for the refusal Is Interesting. Inter-esting. To that division which separates the nations Into halves hal-ves and have-nots, it adds another an-other between those who would Ignore the rest of the world and those who would cooperate. Price v of cooperation In this Instance was small. Japan was only asked to give her word that she Is not boulding ships over the standard size that other nival powers have accepted. It Is not as if her own strategy requires re-quires mystery ships with a great cruising radius. All of her naval defense problems are comfortably comfort-ably concentrated In her own front yard. She doea not have to Insure the security of domin ions 12,000 miles distant, as does England, nor protect two ocean coasts, as does United States. Her problem Is to keop open her vital trade routes and maintain main-tain a fleet strong enough to cope with any hostile navy sent against her. Her trade tracks converge into neighboring China and the Yellow Sea. Peace seems to Japan not a positive condition of well-being i in which individual citizens may develop their personal activities of freedom but a stagnant status quo, unprofitable and oppressive to virile, agresslve nations. Cooperation Co-operation Implies a voluntary restriction of armed power. Japan's geographical security is unequaled. In her 2,500 reefs and Islands she possesses an un-matchable un-matchable chain of defensive air bases. A nation In this possession can afford to get her own price for cooperation. Non-cooperation 1b a weapon of the strong. |