The Ayes Have It

A special town meeting of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was called to order in Tokyo's monumental Diet Building last week by His Imperial Majesty Hirohito, 124th Emperor of Japan.

Reporting on the Sphere's recent expansion, Premier General Hideki Tojo advised that Russian territory was not expected to receive the benefit of further expansion for the moment: "Relations between Japan and the Soviet Union have undergone no change. . . . With progress of the war, enemy countries will, I presume, intensify their efforts to alienate Japan and the Soviet Union, but there is no chance for such intrigues to bear fruit so long as the Soviet Union firmly maintains the attitude mentioned."

Premier Tojo went on to recommend India's cooperation in the Sphere: "Since all the outpost bases of the British Empire for defense of India are in the possession of Japan, the golden opportunity is offered to the Indian people to rise and obtain their liberty. . . ." Premier Tojo suggested that the Indian people eject British and American troops from India. "As long as [they] remain, Japan is inflexibly determined to annihilate them.

... To our regret, it is unavoidable that in the course of such a campaign the innocent Indian people would also be made acquainted with the horrors of war." Premier Tojo described Australia as "the orphan of the Pacific," declared she was "now helplessly expecting Japan's attack after the battle in the Coral Sea wiped away naval units put up for the defense of Australia."

The chief new business to be brought up this week was the consideration of huge appropriation bills for shipping to replace losses incurred in the development of the Co-Prosperity Sphere. Since 80% of the Japanese Diet members chosen at the recent elections were Government-supported (TIME, May 18), there was no doubt that the ayes would have it.

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