For many a week Japanese, harassed by a succession of Government crises and staggering under the biggest military budget in their history, had looked forward to April 14. That day, Japan's leading soothsayers had declared, would be the luckiest in Japan's year. The nation's bamboo-stick-shufflers, temple oracles and stargazers all agreed on this point.
The happy day dawned. Through the town of Matsue in Shimone prefecture swept a raging fire which burnt to ashes more than 400 houses, a hospital, a school, many business offices, deprived 1,500 of their homes. Korea,...
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