Advent of Shishi

The resignation of Baron Giichi Tanaka, grizzled seadog, and the advent of Yuko Hamaguchi, tall, shaggy economist, as Prime Minister of Japan (TIME, July 8), seemed last week to portend two changes of international interest: 1) increased calm in China; 2) Japan's co-operation at the imminent five-power naval reduction conferences.

To the two reasons popularly given for the fall of the Tanaka government--lese-majeste and the Manchurian murder of Chang Tso-lin--Tokyo businessmen added a third last week. Baron Tanaka's "Positive Policy" of intervention, vigorous protection of the Japanese colony in Tsinanfu, had brought a boycott of Japanese goods throughout China. By the most rudimentary bookkeeping, balancing the $250,000,000 colony of Tsinanfu against $500,000,000 annual trade with China, Tokyo businessmen realized that the "Positive Policy" must go.

Political observers examined the new cabinet last week, saw it as follows:

Yuko Hamaguchi, the new Prime Minister, third untitled Prime Minister of Japan,* leader of the Minseito (Liberal party). He is called Shishi ("The Lion") because of his Lloyd-Georgian hair and mustache, his roaring voice, unusual in a Japanese. Actually he looks less like a lion than a quiet, white-headed chow. Not affluent, Shishi has a reputation for the highest integrity. A Liberal, an economist, he is expected to be more flexible and progressive than the Conservative government just fallen. Twice Minister in previous cabinets, popular for his eccentricities with Japan's masses, Economist Shishi has a son, Kazuhiko Hamaguchi, at present a research worker in the New York branch of the Bank of Japan. Graduate of the Imperial University of Tokyo, onetime intercollegiate jiu-jitsu champion of Japan, fond of tennis, eager for golf, Son Kazuhiko shares a small villa at Bayside, L. I., with an office mate. Interviewed last week he giggled politely, admitted that his father likes walking and reading, wears kimonos at home, European clothes on the street.

P:Familiar to Washington is the new Foreign Minister Baron Kijuro Shidehara, onetime (1919-22) Ambassador to the U. S. Bright eyed, ever smiling, Baron Shidehara would be an agreeable, helpful principal in any conference on naval reductions. As Foreign Minister in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Wakatsuki, preceding Baron Tanaka, he inaugurated the policy of conciliation with China which Tanaka so disastrously upset.

P:Others in the Liberal Cabinet :

Home Affairs: Kenzo Adachi, onetime Minister of Communications.

War: General Issei Ugaki (same post in 1926-27).

Marine: Admiral Takeshi Takarabe (same post 1926-27).

Finance: Junnosuke Inouye, international banking expert, onetime Governor of the Bank of Japan.

Railways: Yoku Egi, onetime Minister of Justice.

Communications: Matajiro Koizumi, onetime journalist.

Justice: Viscount Chifuyu Watanabe, banker and newspaper owner.

Impartial observers considered the Hamaguchi cabinet the ablest since 1921. But roaring Shishi, like grave Ramsay MacDonald of Britain, has a minority government. Japan's parliament seats are divided as follows:

Liberal Party 180

Opposition 261

Independent Party 12

Proletarian Parties 8

Vacant Seats 5

Total Number of Seats 466

*Other Commoner Prime Ministers were: Takashi Hara (1918-21), assassinated by a megalomaniac in 1921; Reijiro Wakatsuki (1926-27), poet, jiu-jitsu expert.