The German-Japanese Accord The text of the agreement between Germany
and Japan as published in Berlin on Wednesday is a curious affair. It ostensibly deals only with the Comintern, or Communist Internatioti. 1,–the • two 'contacting parties declaring their hostility to the operations of the Comm.it tern, pledging themselves to " take measures of defence " against that body and to repress with all requisite severity (as opposed, presumably, to their present leniency) any of their subjects who may endeavour to serve the Comintern directly or indirectly and to form a standing joint commission to concert measures to this end; In the text as published there is no hint of anything in the nature of military action or of any military under- standing, but the whole agreement is couched in language so vague as to make it clear that the question of portance is not what the text as published means, but what underlies it. There may or may not be secret provisions. Their existence would inevitably be denied if there were, and rumour would inevitably invent them if there were not. All things considered, it seems probable that the so-called German-Japanese alliance amounts to considerably less than confident predictions suggested, and involves no great change in the existing relations between the two countries. The invitation to other countries to associate themselves with the agreement will no doubt be accepted forthwith by Italy and a few acolytes.
