The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1933. OVERLORDS OF ASIA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 285, 2 December 1938, Page 8

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1933. OVERLORDS OF ASIA.

For the cause that lacks assistance. For the wrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that we can do.

" Needless to say," said the Japanese

Cabinet in a statement in Auuu-t. II'.ST, " our Government harbours no territorial de-igns. ... It goes without .-aying that liie Government will , spare no effort to safeguard foreign rights anil interests in China." The purpose of the campaign, it was explained then, and later, was merely to "chastise the lawless Chinese ' troop*," and "to impress on the Nanking (iovernment the neees.-ity for u reconsideration."' If the Japanese under-estimated China's power of resi-lanee >ueh declarations were sineere when they were made, hut it lias become clear beyond doubt that as the campaign has developed, its purpose, too, lias altered. This week it has been announced that the great Yangtse-kiang i-> to remain closed to foreign shipping, not merely during the campaign, but until China is " rehabilitated." That means for ever. And to-day comes the news that an Imperial conference has sanctioned a policy of " creating a new order in the Far East." It seems to amount to a declaration that nothing will be done in China in future without Japan's consent.

An unusually frank statement of Japan's revised aims was given on Oetober 27 last by the Japanese Ambassador in Rome. Assuming the fall of Hankow to be the end of the war (nn assumption still unjustified), he envisaged ten year;? of work for Japan before the "new China" was in being. This "new China" Mould be a .second Manchukuo. . . . He went on to say, of course, that the rights of foreign Powers would continue to be respected, but "British predominance in Eastern Asia hail ended for all time to come." If China is to become "a second Manchukuo" the rights of foreign Powers will before long become of negligible importance; already it is being noted that customary assurances about the maintenance of the " open door " policy are not repeated. The assumption must be since the capture of Canton and Hankow in a campaign which was finally prepared during the European crisis—Japan feels confident that the state of Europe ia such that she need fear no interference from any of the Western Powers.