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Show JAPAN 111 Plfflffi HISTORY HAS EFFECT III pyp Minister of Marine Reports Re-ports Outline of Program Pro-gram and Reasons for Adoption in Self Defense De-fense npOKIO, March 24 (By A mo-1 mo-1 riatd 1'rrM). Aurrtiona that the Japanese naval program waa bring followed for the pur-pone pur-pone of romprtinir with the I'nllvd Ktaiaa navy, wrra drnouncad aa tirapoalaroua and abaurd" by Vlra Admiral Tomoaaburo Katn. Japanraa mlnialrr of maiina. In an Intrrrtaw with tha Aaaorlatad Prraa brra today. Ha derlarad Japan waa not trying In I enmpata wllh tha Amarlcan nay and that tha Japanaaa naval pronram had bran formulated ao that tha laland am-plra am-plra could ba drfnlxl againat any rmrrtrnclri arlilng lo tha Kar Kaat, alone. taurine tha eouraa of tha Intarvlrw tha minlalrr emphaalird the fart that Japyn'a projret to havr a flrat of elaht batilvahlpa and riKhl ball la rrularra not o'ar alahl yrara old waa not nrc raaarlly Irrnlurllil. II Inrtlcalrd that If all the naval pnware would aarra lo a "naval holiday" ha would ba wllllnc to entrr aurh an rnyaarmrnt and would not Inalat upon tha completion of tha naval program projected by tha government. HISTORY FIGURE. In view of the popular movement for the curtailment of nrmamrnla led by Yuklo Oaakt and commercial and Indiiatrlal leader of the empire, aa well a the world Intereat In diaarma. ment, the eorreaponilrnt aaked M. Katu to give aa definite a atatement aa ii'iMihle of Jnpan'a naval policy. "l.et ma aay In beginning." tha mln-later mln-later explained, "that our Idea In con-alderlng con-alderlng the eitatence of tha two equAilrnn tha Irrrduclhle minimum neceaaary for naval drfrnaa originated after rha Chlno-Japaneaa war. and before be-fore the Itiiaao-Jaiutnrae conflict. In tha war with liuaala wa had two aquarirona each with all capital ahlpa and later poaaraard equaUrona having elKht lialtlrahlpa and all rrularra After th Russian war Japan planned In have her squadrons made up of right hattleshlpa and eight rrulaera, all capital snipe less than eight years old. SECRET COMPETITION. -The condition nf our flnancra did nnt permit the currying out of this program, so we tried lo maintain an right-four' standard and then an 'eight-eight.' While several powers are trying to build great navlea conalst-ing conalst-ing of thirty- forty or rven fifty capital cap-ital ships of the first line, Jspsn's plan for an 'eight-eight' standard serms moderate, considering the position posi-tion of the Islands. In counting ahlpa less than eight years old. tha examples exam-ples of foreign powers have been our guidance. "The framera of the -eight-eight' program did not 'lave In mind any foreign country aa a probable enemy. I wish to emphasise that they merely considered our flnancra and decided we could afford to maintain such s nsvy, by which the lland emplr could be defended gainst any emergencies" emer-gencies" EFFECT OF COST. . M. Kato dwelt on how the advanced coat of building and the Increaeed else of capital ahlpa had enormously expanded ex-panded Japan' naval expenditure until the budget of ltl!l carried 1250.-000.000 1250.-000.000 fur thi purpoae alone. He eaid I (Continued on page 4 |