DISASTROUS DEFEAT OF JAPANESE ARMY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 115, 17 May 1941, Page 9

DISASTROUS DEFEAT OF JAPANESE ARMY

CHINESE CLAIM

Ten Days Heavy Fighting In Hupeh Province United Press Association.—Copyright. Rec. 11 a.m. LONDON, May 16. The Chungking Central News Agency reports that the Japanese have suffered a disastrous defeat in the Hupeh Province, in Central China, where 10,000 Japanese have been killed or captured during 10 days' fighting. It is claimed that the Japanese have been driven back towards their base in north, central and western Hupeh, from which their offensive began on May 5.

The Japanese official spokesman at Shanghai, Mr. Akiyama, said the Chinese sth Army sustained heavy losses in the recent fighting in the southern Shansi Province The generals and staff of five Chinese divisions were killed and 120.000 troops were trapped.

The Information Board spokesman at Tokyo, ViscOunt Ishii, said Mr. Ma'suoka, Japanese Foreign Minister, and the Japanese Minister to Nanking, Mr. Honda, had reached agreement on Japan's policy in China, both favouring the bolstering up of the Nanking Japanesesponsored Government and also rejecting third Power mediation, including the United States and Germany, regarding Chinese and Japanese hostilities.