NEWS OF THE WEEK T HE murders at Tokyo are in
the Japanese tradition, as the history of the past four years abundantly demonstrates, but their scale is unprecedented. The fact that the assassins have succeeded in their attempts on Admiral Okada, Viscount Saito, Mr. Takahashi, Prime Minister, Lord Privy Seal and Finance Minister respec- tively, as well as on other prominent politicians whose deaths are definitely announced, and a still further list of victims unknown in number, gives the affair the dimen- sions of a military coup. But the news, so far, is too meagre and fragmentary to make considered comment possible. That the blow was dealt by the military against the civil government, and that the immediate cause -was the success of the comparatively Liberal Minseito party in last week's elections, is clear. But how far the army as a whole is involved, and whether the com- plete overthrow of Parliamentary government is aimed at, has still. to be revealed. Among the victims of the outrage Mr. Takahashi may be regarded as the assassins' chief target. As Finance Minister he was in ceaseless opposition to the naval and military services whose demands already account for 47 per cent. of the national expenditure—a percentage that is still increasing. For that and other reasons the Cabinet as a whole has set itself consistently to moderate , military ambitions in Manchukuo and China, and relations between soldiers and politicians have been growing steadily tenser in consequence.
