JAPAN'S EFFORTS TO STOP ARMS TO CHINA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 158, 5 July 1940, Page 8

JAPAN'S EFFORTS TO STOP ARMS TO CHINA.

BURMA ROUTE.

Britain Expected To Refuse

Demand

RUSSIA AND U.S.A. AFFECTED. United l're»s Association.—Copyright. (Received 10 n.m.) LOXDOX, July 4. The British Ambassador to Japan, Sir Robert Craigie, visited Mr. M. Tani, of the Japanese Foreign Office, and informed him that the Britisi reply to Japan's demand that the arms route to China across Burma should be closed, has not been received, but was expected "within a week, states a message from Tokyo. The British United Prese learne that no instructions have yet been sent to Sir Robert Craigie regarding the Japanese demand to close the Burma arms route, but will probably be sent shortly. The general expectation is that the tenor of the reply will refuse the de inn lid. MiK-t of the goods at present passing over the route are either Rus.-ian or American. Therefore, it is felt in London that ,lapan should >".pproae.h Russia and America before Britain. British Arrive at Manila. Advice has been received from Manila of the arrival of 1640 British women and children from Hongkong. The liner President Coolidge also arrived.

The Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Japan remained at Manila for three hours, after which she left for Hongkong. She is expected to return on Sunday with additional evacuees.

The wife or a British military leader who arrived'tt Manila said the evacuation was for the purpose of relieving the food problem, a* there was likely to be a lengthy blockade. Sin said that information had lieen received in Hongkong from 1/ondon tliiit Britain would refuse the Japanese demands for the closing of the Burma urine route, and that the evacuation had been ordered to strengthen resistance against the blockade and also to strengthen the British hand in future negotiations, thus preventing appeasement similar to that which obtained in the Tientsin negotiations.

She added that the British action was evidently planned in co-ordination with the resistance to pressure decided upon by the I'nited States, and emphasised that in Hongkong a.i invasion had never been anticipated.

Japanese Army Policy. It is authoritatively stated in Tokyo that tlie Army is planning «o insist that the Government must adopt a stronger foreign policy, based on Germany's present ascendancy. 'Hie vernacular newspapers assert that the Foreign, Minister, Mr. Arita. apologised to the Prime Minister. Admiral Vonai. and assumed responsibility for the leakage to the Press of liis (Mr. Arita'e) radio speech.

It is also stated that the Minister of War, General Hata. representing Army leaders,, after a series of conferences, presented Admiral Voiiai with a statement disagreeing with Mr. Arita's speech, on 1 the grounds that it was weak, that it misrepresented the views of the services, and. that it was too conciliatory toward the democracies. Meanwhile the single-party movement was advanced when the Nakajima faction of the Seiyukei group voted for dissolution.

The Army and the Foreign Office later jointly announced the settlement of their differences over Mr. Arita's speech. A message from Shanghai says that V\ang Ohing-wei's newspaper, the" "North China Daily News," accused the municipal council of "conniving in and instigating the assassination of an employee of the paper, Mu Shih-Ying.