Telephone Cabinet

Parliamentary government replaced feudalism in Japan in 1890. The new system creaked along until 1932 when Japanese Army officers put an end to party government by killing Ki Inukai, the last party Premier. The Japanese Army has dominated every Tokyo Cabinet since the outbreak of the Manchurian War (September 1931).

Handlebar-mustached Senjuro Hayashi, leader of the "Gold Braid Cabinet" of generals and admirals which took office last January, was Japan's No. 1 exponent of military aggressiveness. In four short months the gold braids outraged the civilian party politicians, high-handedly suspended the Diet's lower house, forced an election, lost it but insisted on staying in office (TIME, May 10).

With the country against them, the Cabinet began to accuse Premier Hayashi of bungling what they had hoped would be a coup d'etat to entrench them more firmly. Last week he knew the game was up, resigned (TIME, June 7).

The political parties, the Japanese electorate and the Emperor were immensely relieved, felt that the tide of militarism had at last turned. As always before choosing a new Premier, the Emperor immediately got in touch with 88-year-old Prince Kimmochi Saionji, last of the Genro (elder statesmen) who advised the late great Emperor Meiji. The ancient Prince had the very man groomed for such an emergency -- dapper 45-year-old Prince Fumimaro Konoye, president of the House of Peers, an independent, nonparty aristocrat who was nominated for Premier three years ago while he was in New York taking the temperature of the U. S. about naval disarmament. He was then prevented from accepting by Prince Saionji because the time was not ripe.

Prince Konoye, though inexperienced in administration, promptly accepted this time. Within a few hours he sat down before a telephone, rang up the prospective ministers of what was soon tagged "The Telephone Cabinet." From the first, one thing was clear: the military Government could not be replaced by an out-&-out liberal one. In a brief radio speech in which he revealed an attractive radio personality, the new Premier declared that he would seek to "heal strife and eliminate friction." This meant that he had to conciliate the Army, recognize the disgruntled civilian parties, win the sympathy of the electorate.

Within two days the Premier had his Cabinet lined up--the broadest, most nearly "national" in Japan's history. In it were a count, two army and navy men, an airplane manufacturer, eight civilians (five of them from the House of Peers, two from the Diet's major parties). As chief secretary of the Cabinet the Premier chose Akira Kazami, a minor politician with no money. Kazami was as surprised by the appointment as the rest of Japan. With a deep belly laugh he roared: "Ha! Ha! Wisdom is not in my line; neither is money. Turn me upside down and you won't get even a nosebleed."

Lieut.-General Gen Sugiyama, War Minister in the Hayashi Cabinet, kept his job after getting a promise from the new Premier that national defense would be strengthened. Navy Minister Vice Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai also stayed in office. Cautious, 59-year-old Koki Hirota, onetime Premier, onetime Foreign Minister, returned to the Foreign Office--a popular move.

Tired of mushroom Cabinets, most Japanese hailed the new Government with enthusiasm, felt that if it could survive the next Budget it might restore unity, permanence and some sort of liberalism to Japanese politics.

Premier Prince Konoye is a great talker, a great reader (especially Japanese translations of U. S. books), an internationalist, an idealist who believes in the redistribution of property. A bundle of nerves, he is so fussy about hygiene that he sprinkles alcohol on an apple before eating it. He is a devotee of Kabuki, the Japanese dance-drama. He likes wrestling matches but takes no interest in Japanese baseball. Like his son Fumitaka at Princeton he is fond of golf, took it up ten years ago, got his handicap down to nine, then dropped the game. He is ready, however, to start again.

Japan's present system of peerage, of which the new Premier is a top-ranking member, numbers about 1,000, was established in 1884 as a subtle method of breaking the power of the feudal Samurai. Titles are ki (prince), ko (marquis), haku (count), shi (viscount), dan (baron). All are hereditary titles, all except the first can be conferred on commoners. There is also the equivalent of British knighthood in the Ikai or Kurai. Only in classical poetry or Gilbert & Sullivan is the Emperor called Mikado, is generally called Tenshi (Son of Heaven) or Tenno (Heavenly King).

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