"In the Name of. . .'

Emperor Hirohito's signing of the Kellogg Treaty (see above) had grave and unexpected results last week. Almost without warning it was announced that the Conservative Cabinet of Baron Giichi Tanaka would resign.

The Kellogg Treaty concludes with the seemingly harmless statement that it is signed by the rulers of the various nations "in the name of their respective peoples." Though Japan is a constitutional monarchy, yearly growing more democratic, nowhere are royal prerogatives more jealously guarded. According to the Japanese Constitution the Emperor, Son of Heaven, does not sign treaties "in the name of his people" for that would mean that it was the people who were making the treaty, the Emperor who was their agent. Japanese Prime Ministers sign "in the name of" the people. Japan's Emperor signs "for the good of" the people.

Realizing that this was a purely technical point, that there was no objection from any party to the spirit or the clauses of the Kellogg Treaty, the Tanaka government advised the Emperor to sign the treaty as written, for fear of causing international complications. To appease ultraconservatives, an official explanation was issued pointing out that the Emperor was signing a treaty written in a foreign language; that the Emperor was doing nothing to lower his authority.

The sensitive nature of onetime Foreign Minister Count Yasuya Uchida could not brook such an irregularity. He was responsible for the Kellogg treaty in Japan. He felt that he was put in the position of presenting an unconstitutional treaty to his country. Piqued, he resigned from the Privy Council, paid a farewell visit to Prince Saonji, last of the Elder Statesmen or Genro.

The Genro is a political institution without Western precedent. Possessing no constitutional authority but politically active until 1922, it then consisted of the four patriarchs who helped frame the Constitution of 1889--Marshal Prince Yamagata, Prince Saonji, Prince Matsukata, Marquis Okuma. No political move of any importance was made by the Emperor without consulting the Elder Statesmen. When their great age made traveling to the Palace difficult, Imperial messengers were sent to ask their advice. Prince Kimmochi Saonji, now 80 (he was born in the year of the California Gold Rush) is the last survivor. So great is his influence still that when etiquette seemed to demand that Prime Minister Tanaka and his whole Cabinet must resign with Privy Councillor Uchida, Cabinet Members hastened to the garden of Prince Saonji respectfully to wait the opinion of that wrinkled sage.

Slated to follow Baron Tanaka in office was Yugo Hamaguchi, Liberal Party Leader whose policy of retrenchment and removal of the gold embargo is popularly acclaimed.