I see, incidentally, that in the second week of the
Korean war, more than two years ago, I wrote—rather pompously—in the Spectator: "It is perhaps not altogether fanciful to suggest that one (and not the least important) of the long-term conse- quences of the Korean affair may be to accelerate the inevitable return of Japanese bayonets to the mainland of Asia." There weren't any Japanese bayonets anywhere at that time, and there are still none on the mainland. But Japan now has a Maritime Safety Force of 13,000 men and is asking the Americans for sixty-eight ships, including landing craft; and her National Police Force, for which she hopes to borrow American tanks and artillery, is being expanded from 75,000 to 116,000. Whatever happens at the polls next week, I shall be surprised if these forces tend to contract in size over the years ahead of us.
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