The Press association Reuter reported from Tokyo that the Japanese Naval Department decided to execute the second naval shipbuilding program and asked the parliament to approve the needed budget of 460.000.000 yen. According to tidings in the newspapers wanted men to built 2 cruisers each of 8,300 ton, 7 destroyers of 1.400 ton, 6 submarines of different sized, a minelayer of 5,000 ton and a number of minesweepers and torpedo boats. These ships were to be completed within 4 years and to replaced warships of aged types. The same newspapers reported that this program was written just after the end of the fleet conference at London.(1) The navy wanted first to start with this program in 1934 but regarded the developing global situation found it necessary to start earlier. The air force asked for a budget of 20.000.000 yen. The newspapers however doubted if the department of finance would supply the necessary budgets and it was expected that the naval program could start just in a time money was lacking by the government.
Note
1. Agreement between the United Kingdom, Japan, USA, France and Italy signed on 22 April 1930 to regulate warfare with submarines and to limit the building of warships by allowing maximum tonnages.
