Purification by Pistols

A welter of bombings in Tokyo and the assassination of Japan's Premier produced last week comparatively little horror, dismay or revulsion but such cool Japanese comments as these:

His Excellency Lieut.-General Sadao Araki, Minister of War (after a 20-minute audience with the Son of Heaven. Emperor Hirohito): "So far as I can learn the events of today were designed to purify politics."

Nichi Nichi, famed Tokyo daily: "Leaf-lets distributed by the plotters indicate they were extremely worried regarding the economic situation. . . .

"They aimed to cause a reign of terror by menacing the existence of the Government and thus try to turn public attention to the necessity of entirely changing the present outlook on life. They sacrificed their lives for the nation as martyrs. We deeply regret and deplore the occurrence of the incident but feel that only a few Japanese today remain who are satisfied with existing conditions.

"In view of the worsening depression and incompetent political parties, many people here, like men committing suicide, feel like destroying their lives and everything else in desperation."

Kazuo Edina, editor of San Francisco's Japanese Daily News: "We consider this to be one of the Fascist adventures of some young Japanese Navy and Army officers . . I use the term Fascist as applied to an organized outbreak against a Parliamentary Government."

Typical, these Japanese comments were partly explained by the fact that Premier Ki Inukai was known as "the Old Fox, famed for slyness and trickery (TIME, Dec 21). Moreover the name of his Seiyukai Party has long been a Japanese byword for corruption. Last week prominent citizens of Tokyo, reluctant to comment on the killing of the Old Fox, spoke instead about Parliamentary Government, called it "alien," speculated upon the possible benefits of a return to Japanese Medievalism--as though that were possible in 1932.

"Fire!" The day had been warm, sunny, peaceful. Just before sunset Tokyo was terrified by the sudden dashing through her streets of four or five motorcars (one a commandeered taxicab) from which uniformed Japanese petty officers and cadets flung bundles of leaflets and hurled bombs.

"Down with the disloyalists!" read the leaflets. "Up with the Emperor! End the old corrupt political leaders! Down with the financial oligarchy! Down with privilege! We are Nationalists--neither of the Left nor Right. We want restoration of the imperial power. Direct action is necessary to save the country!"

Small, weak but exceedingly loud bombs were hurled at the Bank of Japan, the Mitsubishi Bank, the residence of Emperor Hirohito's Grand Chamberlain Admiral Kantaro Suzuki, the Central Police Station opposite the Cherry Village Gate of the Imperial Palace. At the gate a Japanese reporter fell with a bullet in his foot. Other bombs were thrown at the residence of Count Nobuaki Makino, Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and a con stant adviser to young Emperor Hirohito, 31.

Meanwhile ancient Premier Ki Inukai, 77, was quietly puffing a cigaret not in his home but in the Official Residence of Japan's Premier directly facing the new Diet Building. With him were his daughter-in-law, her two children and a family friend, Mr. Tanaka. Outside police stood guard.

Suddenly a motorcar drew up with screeching brakes. Out leaped two naval lieutenants, an army sergeant and two corporals of Gendarmerie, all pointing pistols which made the guards run. Bursting into the Premier's lobby, the five attackers found it guarded by Policeman Yasomatsu Hirayama. They shot him, forced their way on into the helpless Old Fox's lair. Screamed his daughter-in-law: "Please let us escape!"

"It is useless," said Premier Inukai, calm as he faced Death. "But what do you want, my men?"

"We will shoot you!" cried a navy officer as four more assailants burst in through a back door. Covered by nine pistols, the Premier said: "Let us talk it over before you shoot."

"Fire!" shouted the officer as Premier Inukai pleaded "please don't shoot! Maybe we can settle this."

For answer the two young officers seized the ancient statesman, pinioned him while their men put two bullets through his head. This was at 5:15 Pm. Miraculously the 77-year-old Premier lived until a few minutes before midnight, died of cerebral hemorrhage after a futile blood transfusion.

Police apparently made no effort to capture the nine killers of the Old Fox as they fled. Later 18 young army and navy men came voluntarily to police headquarters, dramatically gave themselves up but confessed nothing, were not subjected to a third-degree. At 2 a. m. the Son of Heaven received Finance Minister Korekiyo Takahashi, appointed him Acting Premier pending the convocation of the Diet on May 25.

Significance. Acting Premier Takahashi enjoys no more of the nation's confidence than did the "Old Fox." In 1925 there was rejoicing when Mr. Takahashi resigned leadership of the Seiyukai Party. His mere ousting, Japanese thought, would draw better men into the Party.

Today Japan is politically bankrupt. That does not mean that she is financially bankrupt, nor that her Throne is tottering. It means merely that the Army & Navy, making the most of their Constitutional irresponsibility to the Premier and responsibility only to the Throne, have reduced step by step during the past twelvemonth the prestige of both of Japan's great political parties, her Seiyukai and her Minseito.

As everyone knows, Minseito Premier Baron Wakatsuki opposed but was unable to stop the Army's plunge into Manchuria (TIME, Sept. 28). His successor, the Seiyukai's "Old Fox,'" pandered eagerly to the Army & Navy, but the costly setback at Shanghai forced the Foreign Office to negotiate what the fighting services were bound to consider a "disgraceful withdrawal" (TIME, May 16). This, though not the fault of the "Old Fox," led him straight into a trap of Japanese swashbuckling hysteria which cost him his life last week.

What next? Merely the same old futile thing. As custom decrees, His Majesty sent for the Last of the Genro or Elder Statesmen, 83-year-old Prince Saionji. Once again he would advise the Son of Heaven whom to choose as Japan's next Premier. Meanwhile there were rumors (unconfirmed) of mutiny in the Japanese Army & Navy.

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