Correspondence
A LETTER FROM TOKYO. [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,—The most intense excitement prevails among us over the arrival of the • Europa,' the Junkers Monoplane of Baron Gunther von Hiinefeld, which landed here yesterday afternoon after a flight from Berlin via India. Elaborate preparations • had been made at Tachikawa, the military air port, for an official reception of the Baron and his pilot, Lieut. Lindner, but unfavourable weather conditions obstructing the field of vision made it necessary for the monoplane to descend on the banks of a river several miles distant. Fortunately the heavy rains had softened the ground, so that little damage was suffered by the machine, beyond the slight bending of the propeller and the landing gear. In the meantime a repre- sentative group of prominent Japanese and foreigners had been waiting since 10.30 a.m. at Tachikawa for the arrival of the 'plane. Lunch had even been set out in the reception room of the Officers' Club near by, but to partake thereof without the guests was out of the question, so that it was a hungry and discomfited assembly which, towards 3 o'clock, received the news of the baron's arrival elsewhere. The interest in the event is sustained by the publication of long accounts of the memorable flight of the ' Bremen' from Ireland to Greenly Island, and by the somewhat picturesque personality of the airman himself. His book, Three -Mus- keteers of the Air, copies of which have been rushed to the scene by enterprising Tokyo booksellers, reveals the baron as poet, politician, financier, and general adventurer, all of which give an added piquancy to his sensational descent in our midst.
The arrival of these important visitors froin above has rather overshadowed the coming of a group from another direction, a British submarine flotilla consisting of the ` Titania,' the ` Marazion ana four others under the command of Captain J. B. Glencross, which ordinarily would have been the chief social event for the foreign community. Neverthe- less, an extensive programme of festivities has been arranged including rugger, soccer, and hockey matches between the local teams and those of the flotilla, dances in various parts of Tokyo and Yokohama, and one intriguing concert labelled "strictly stag," to be furnished by the Naval concert party. The outstanding featureofthe political situation is the slow but steady " ratting " of the members of the Minseito, the chief Opposition Party. On the morrow of the General Elections of February last, the Government party, the Seiyukai, were reported to have a majority in the Diet of no more than four members, and even this was doubtful. During the Extraordinary Session which followed, the Government had the utmost difficulty in preventing a vote of no-confidence and was, indeed, only able to do so by coming to terms with a small independent group, a manoeuvre which necessitated the resignation of a particularly militant Home Minister, Dr. Kisaburo Suzuki, described by. certain vernacular organs as " the Japaneie ;fix." At present the Government's majority is nearer' fifty. This is due to the fact that party principles are still so ill-defined that a Government with the additional bargaining capacity which office affords can always secure definite adherents, While On the other hand persOlial loyalties are of such great importance that if one member secedes froin'it patty:either to form an independent group or to join'the opponents he can alWays'eonnt upon being followed by some of his friends. It is illustrative of the rapidity with which party loyalties are transferred in- present-day Japan
that the Liberal group with whose support the Government was able to maintain its, egistenee during the session is now reduced 'to one member, Mr. Yusuke Tsurumi, at present engaged in a popular lecture tour in America, whereas the Shinto Club, a party formed as recently as two months ago, Is now the third in strength in the Diet.
A curious, but none the less characteristic, Japanese attack on the Kellogg Treaty for the Outlawry of War has been instigated by the leaders of the Minseito. They declare that the words, in the name of their respective peoples," which' occur in the preamble to the treaty constitute a suggestion that the Emperor makes the treaty as a representative of his people with powers &legated therefrom. This the attackers declare, is at once a violation of the Japanese Constitution and at variance with the whole conception of the Emperor's prerogatives which are exercised by divine right. The GoVernment's spokesmen leave replied that the words, " in the name of," mean no more than, " for the benefit of," and with the assistance of the English language Press, the dis- cussion has become mainly philological. In reality the whole agitation is in the nature of a to quoque at the expense of the Government. The Dr. Suzuki of earlier mention had pro- claimed on the eve of the election that the Minseito had been guilty of disrespect to the Throne in asserting that, if they gained the majority of seats in the Diet, the Emperor must automatically call upon them to form a Government. The wording of the Pact afforded the Minseito leaders an oppor- tunity to pay their rivals back in their own coin. The whole discussion appears ridiculous to the foreign observer but it is an indication of the strong feelings that still exist all over the country with regard to the sacredness of the Emperor's powers.
Foreigners are particularly interested in the Annual Exhibition of the Imperial Arts Academy which opened yesterday, as some 200 of the best paintings displayed are to be sent to Paris and exhibited there next spring. The foreigner, looking at this year's exhibition can only hope that the 200 will be mainly composed of works in the pure Japanese style, and not of those either frankly Western or which have undergone Western influence. It is a deplorable, but none the less indisputable fact, that the Japanese artists, despite long training and unbounded enthusiasm, can produce nothing, in Western style nit, above the level of a drab technical efficiency; On the other hand, the native art has an exquisite refinement and an almost quivering restraint. which deserve to be better known abroad. It is to be noted with encouragement that not only Paris, Nit also Berlin and Rome, will have their Japanese Exhibitions within the next year.—I am, Sir, &c.
1:70tilt TOKYO CORRESPONDENT.
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