Enter Japan

Last week Japan entered the World War --not explicitly, with a formal declaration and a frontal attack; but deviously, jesuitically, with that unsubtle subtlety which is so peculiarly Japanese. Actually there were two indirect declarations of war: In Tokyo, War Minister General Shunroku Hata told his staff: "We should not miss the present opportunity or we shall be blamed by posterity." And Foreign Minister Hachiro Arita, in a radio speech, defined the opportunity as a chance to enforce what Tokyo papers called an "Asiatic Monroe Doctrine": henceforth Japan would not meddle outside Asia, would tolerate no outside meddling inside Asia.

These declarations coincided with military and politico-military action. Ostensibly the action was intended to finish off the long resistance of China (see p. 20) by cutting off China's Burmese and Indo-Chinese sources of military supply. But the bigger aim was terribly clear. Pressure was applied at every nerve centre of foreign interests.

France, now conveniently supine in Europe, was selected for the first attack. Fortnight ago French Indo-China agreed to make an absolute stop to military traffic into China, even agreed to let Japanese inspectors come in and see that the stoppage was total. Last week the "inspectorate," consisting of a score of eager little penetrators, flew happily to Indo-China and began supervising customs.

To make doubly sure of IndoChina's good faith, part of Japan's South China Fleet formed a ring around the port of Haiphong "to watch for the time being." Troops billeted on Nanning closed in on the Indo-Chinese border, and fresh forces were concentrated on Hainan Island.

Britain. In Tokyo, Vice Foreign Minister Masayuki Tani called on British Ambassador Sir Robert Leslie Craigie. He demanded that British authorities in Burma emulate the discretion of their Indo-Chinese neighbors by stopping munitions traffic. The British Government "found it difficult to make a prompt reply." By way of pressure, Japanese troops formed a tight landward ring around Hong Kong. The British prepared to resist. Hong Kong officials, archives and non-combatants were evacuated to Singapore and Manila.

The Netherlands East Indies were apparently to be spared for the moment. But not forever. Just to remind the Dutch that Japan had not forgotten them, Vice Foreign Minister Tani called on Netherlands Minister to Tokyo J. C. Pabst, expressed appreciation of the trade concessions already made by the Indies, declared however they were not enough, asked for more, and in no uncertain terms suggested "the need for prompt compliance." Minister Pabst was prompt.

One More Battle. Among the big boys of the world, Japan is the little Sir Echo. It is not likely that Japanese forces will invade French Indo-China, Burma or the Dutch possessions without some previous decisive signal from Europe or the U. S. Dancing attendance in Berlin last week was former Foreign Minister Naotaka Sato, 58, one of Japan's ablest career diplomats, entrusted with the extremely delicate job of getting a go-ahead from Adolf Hitler. This week the U. S. Fleet, which was rumored headed for the Atlantic, returned to Hawaii. Until Envoy Sato gets the good word, or until the U. S. withdraws from the Pacific, Japan is not likely to undertake any adventure which is not directly connected with ending the war in China.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.