The Fox Gets Ready

For months Japan's astute. 75-year-old Premier Shigeru Yoshida, widely known as "the Fox," has been maneuvering behind the political bushes to get ready for Japanese rearmament and a close defense alignment with the U.S. The non-Communist left, which opposes rearmament, is growing stronger in the Diet; Yoshida's conservative Liberal Party is not big enough for a majority alone. Seven weeks ago Yoshida brought the Progressive Party (a conservative splinter group) back into line on rearmament. Then the Fox turned to a group of conservatives headed by a:ling Ichiro Hatoyama, who once presided over the party Yoshida now runs.

Ichiro Hatoyama might be Japan's first minister today in place of Yoshida. except that he 1) was purged by the MacArthur occupation (he was later de-purged); 2) suffered a stroke in 1950 which left him partly paralyzed; 3) is an emotional man whose impulsive acts have sometimes damaged his career. Nine months ago, with 34 other Diet members. Hatoyama broke away from the Yoshida Liberals on the ground that the Premier was too arrogant, too bent on having his own way.

Premier Yoshida was convinced that ailing Mr. Hatoyama could bring back his dissident Liberals--if he wanted to. Last week Yoshida visited Hatoyama in Hatoyama's mansion in downtown Tokyo and was welcomed with smiles. There were polite comments on the weather, polite inquiries as to health. Then Yoshida asked Hatoyama to return to the fold, Hatoyama replied that he would be glad to, but was not sure he could swing the others. Said Yoshida: "I would still be most happy to welcome you back, even if alone." It was a gracious, shrewd and extremely persuasive thing to say.

By week's end it looked as if the entire Hatoyama group would be back in the Yoshida camp, some willingly, some as a matter of political self-preservation. Leftists and neutralists were enraged. If the Hatoyama group stays in line, Yoshida the Fox will control a bare but adequate majority in the Diet on the rearmament votes that lie ahead.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.