One Thing After Another

Japanese politicians have taken over the respectable Occidental practice of accepting financial support from Big Business, but the new custom still smells rank in old Japanese nostrils. Twice scandal has invaded the Cabinet of harassed Premier Makoto Saito, smoked out two of its members. It seemed only a question of time until the great Bank of Taiwan scandal should smear the Cabinet. Last week it did.

The Bank of Taiwan (Formosa), with deposits of 243,000,000 yen in 1932, is high in the second rank of Japan's potent empire firms. Founded in 1899, it got into trouble in 1927, saved itself with government aid and took over Imperial Rayon Co., the soundest asset of an insolvent debtor. This year the Government, investigating its affairs, indicted its Governor, Imperial Rayon's president and eight other officers on charges of having sold Imperial Rayon stock to themselves and friends below the market price. The trail of corruption wound into the Ministry of Finance and to the Vice Minister himself, Hideo Kuroda. But Kuroda, a career man, not a politician, was a member of the First Order of Merit and hence above suspicion. The Government was obliged to ask and get the Emperor's permission to prosecute him. The police called meritorious Hideo, sat him down for questioning, locked him in a cell, arrested four of his underlings.

Once again Premier Saito's Cabinet seemed about to collapse under him. His veteran Finance Minister, Viscount Korekiyo Takahashi, Hideo's Cabinet boss, had a resignation ready in his top drawer. Premier Saito told newshawks: "It's one damned thing after another."

Damned things of his own were on the mind of Japan's bluff War Minister Senjuro Hayashi last week. Whenever he walked into his official residence he began to jump at his own shadow. For the last two War Ministers have been attacked mysteriously by illness while living in that house.

Last week he moved out and called in Shinto priests to chase away any possible evil spirits with prayers and water. Just to be certain, he had plumbers overhaul the drains. The priests calculated May 20 the most auspicious day for him to move in again. On that day his wife ceremoniously carried a potted plant into the house and dauntless General Hayashi followed.

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