REPORT DELAYED

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 303, 22 December 1937, Page 7

REPORT DELAYED

Japanese Attack on British Warship. NEGOTIATIONS PENDING. SHANGHAI, December 21. General Harada has again postponed publication of the findings concerning the attack on H.M.S. Ladybird, which he promised to-day. He said he was instructed from Tokyo to suspend the announcement, pending the conclusion <>f negotiations between Britain and Japan. In the meantime, he retracted the statement that the Pa nay shelled the Japanese army boat, which was based on the supposition that the Japanese heard shells. General Harada said it had been definitely established that Colonel Hashimoto was not ordered to fire on all vessels on the Yangtse. He added that when Colonel Hashimoto quoted his instructions to the commander of the Ladybird he omitted to mention "enemy" ships.

General Harada declined to reply to a question whether Colonel Hashimoto was the Hashimoto involved in the Tokyo military coup of February 26, 1936, when a number of Ministers were killed or wounded.

DIRECT AFFRONTS. Risks Japanese Are Running by Internal Differences. NEW YORK PAPER'S HINT. NEW YORK, December 21. The "New York Times," in an editorial article, states: "If it is true that the quarrel long latent within the Japanese military forces between the old-line conservatives and the young officers' clique responsible for the attempted coup last year has begun to affect the discipline of the army which has invaded China, there is all the more reason to believe that military operations on such a large scale may lead to other incidents.

"There are three unmistakable risks to Japan in the policy she is pursuing. They are:—

"Firstly, the possibility of more 'incidents' like the Panay—direct affronts to foreign nations—which would scarcely fail to create a steadily mounting resentment in those countries. .

"Secondly, the possibility that financial resources will prove unequal to the huge task set by the military. "Thirdly, even if the first two are avoided, Japan may find she has irreparably harmed herself by destroying the indispensable Chinese market for her goods.

"There is always the hope that she will . better herself by exploitation of the Chinese mines and other resources, but this is likely to require foreign loans, which Japan is not likely to be able to obtain. "Certainly in our own case Japan is badly misreading the facts if she believes for one moment that American opinion will permit action on the part of our banks and commercial interests to help to fasten Japan's hold on property stolen from the Chinese people." JAPANESE OFFICER. ATTACK BY VILLAGERS. (Received 1.30 p.m.) LONDOX, December 21. "The Times" Hongkong correspondent says that villagers at Shatantok attacked and dislocated the shoulder of a Japanese, Captain Suzuri, who was being conducted across the border with a camera by British intelligence officers in order to refute charges that munitions were being transported to China from Hongkong. Officers rescued Captain Suzuri and his companion, Kobata, but were stoned. The incident is regarded as negligible.