Hesitation in Tokyo Last week Japan celebrated the second anniversary
of the outbreak of war with China by staging anti-British demon- strations in Tokyo, Tientsin and Shanghai ; and indeed Japanese opinion now regards Great Britain as the greatest obstacle to Japan's victory in China. The Tokyo conference on the Tientsin dispute has been still further delayed, while the Japanese leaders continue to discuss the proposals they will put forward. If it is true that, as is reported from Tokyo, the Government has decided to adopt a plan drawn up by the Army authorities, no satisfactory conclusion to the con- ference can be expected ; for the Army now counts on forcing Great Britain to support or connive at Japan's designs in China as a means to ending the stalemate which has been reached in the war. The British Government cannot accept such demands, which in its view fall outside the scope of the Tokyo conference ; and its hopes of reach- ing a settlement must depend on whether the Japanese Cabinet is not yet committed to the Army programme for the talks. It is believed that the Cabinet's hesitation in coming to a decision is partly determined by doubt of the issue of the Anglo-Russian conversations in Moscow. Agree- ment on the pact with Russia would bring Great Britain as great an accession of strength in the Far East as in Europe.
