System
p. 14 · Read in the full issue
End Of Mandate
Japan Clears the Air
UNDER no circumstances would the Marshall and Caroline Islands, in the Central Pacific, held by Japan under Mandate from the League of Nations, be given up again to the League of Nations said the Foreign Minister of Japan (M.
Hirota) in a public statement on Febru ary 9.
M. Hirota claimed that the Allies prom ised the Islands to Japan by secret treaty signed during the world war, and the ulti mat esession was made in mandate form merely to circumvent the opposition of President Wilson, That means, con cluded the Minister, that the right of control of these tactically important naval bases is founded on what might be con sidered a permanent mandate which is in no way dependent on the League of Nations.
The unequivocal statement on behalf of Japan settles the future, not only of the Marshall and Caroline groups, but also of New Guinea and the Bismarck Archi pelago, the Northern Solomons, Western Samoa and Nauru, all of which are held by the British Empire under similar man dates. If Japan is to be permitted to hold those Central Pacific groups (and there is no doubt that she will be “per mitted”), the British will be entitled equally to permanent possession of New Guinea, Samoa, etc.
The development was confidently fore told in this journal two years ago. The League of Nations is moribund, and the Mandates system is virtually dead. But it is interesting to fix the date of the commencement of the new phase—Febru ary 9, 1934.
Presumably, however, the farce of re porting to Geneva, and sending delegates there to answer a whole series of more or less silly questions about the conduct of the Mandatories, will continue for some time yet.