JAPAN: Great Expectations

While Special Envoy Saburo Kurusu got ready in Washington to argue the U.S. into letting Japan have her way in the Pacific (see p. 19), Premier General Hideki Tojo and Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo told the world that Japan meant to have her way anyhow.

Japan, said Premier Tojo, expects:

1) “Third Powers to refrain from obstructing the successful conclusion of the China affair which Japan has in view.”

2) “Countries surrounding our Empire will not only refrain from presenting a direct military menace, but nullify such measures of hostile character as economic blockade and restore normal economic relations with Japan.”

Foreign Minister Togo bluntly declared that “there is naturally a limit to our conciliatory attitude. . . . There is no necessity of spending much time on negotiations hereafter.”

This tough talk was underlined by the House of Representatives’ approval of a 3,800,000,000 yen ($874,000,000) extraordinary military budget. Thus Japan’s Tojo, Togo and Diet had thrust the Empire into a warlike posture which, if it were to be abandoned for any reason, would require a fearful loss of face and alibis which would have to be masterpieces of Japanese verbalism. The Japanese were still fooling themselves into believing that the U.S. could be made to back down.