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INTERNATIONAL: Japanese Plan

2 minute read
TIME

A broad-faced Oriental sea dog with quarter-deck manners and a likeable grin brought Japan’s naval disarmament plan to Geneva last week. The plan as explained by its cheerful custodian, Vice-Admiral Osami Nagano, is crisp, direct, simple and quite as much a credit to its authors as other plans thus far presented at the Conference. Ticking off its points on his knobby fingers, Admiral Nagano said that Japan asks:

1) Abolition of aircraft carriers and of flying-decks on capital ships.

2) Retention of shortrange, coast defense submarines and scrapping of long-range cruising submarines.

3) Reduction in the maximum tonnage of each type of surface war boat.

4) Reduction of the maximum naval gun calibre to 14 in.

“We stand for a sharp distinction between offensive and defensive naval weapons,” said Admiral Nagano. “Our principle is to reduce the means of attack while strengthening the means of defense. . . . Aircraft carriers are the most offensive of all naval weapons because, by means of their planes, they can not only attack the coast but carry destruction far inland. . . . Japan and the United States are each other’s good customers. I see no reason why—especially with the vast Pacific Ocean between us—any differences in our naval views should not be reconciled in a satisfactory manner.”

Such differences will notably arise over the question of naval ratios. In capital ships the U. S., Great Britain and Japan are now limited to the ratio 5-5-3 under the Washington Naval Treaty. The U. S. and Britain would like to extend this ratio to all classes of naval weapons, thus keeping Japan permanently inferior. Last week Admiral Nagano flatly refused to talk ratios, invited U. S. and British citizens to ponder the type of naval weapon Japan wants all Great Powers to scrap. Obviously if aircraft carriers, long-range submarines and large-surface ships of maximum cruising radius were abolished, Japan could neither strike at the West nor be struck at. She would be left safe and supreme in the East, able to defend herself and to operate at short range against Asiatics.

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