PEACE PLANS BY JAPAN

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22271, 9 December 1937, Page 11

PEACE PLANS BY JAPAN

“Awaiting Chinese Initiative” LIKELY RETIREMENT OF CHIANG KAI-SHEK (UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.) (Received December 8, 11.55 p.m.) LONDON, December 8. According to a Tokyo message, the Foreign Office spokesman (Mr Tatsuo Kawai) stated: “We are waiting to see what the Chinese do before we formulate peace plans. “In the meantime the Chinese have displayed no signs of changing their anti-Japanese attitude. They must adopt a policy of complete cooperation with Japan before anything can be done. “We suppose that Britain or other Powers with interests in China may be making efforts to persuade the Chinese to approach us. We regard such efforts as friendly. We have denied specific knowledge of any German or other such efforts hitherto.” . . ... It is reported from Shanghai that Marshal Chiang Kai-shek, after his departure from Nanking, may possibly retire from the Premiership. His most likely successors are thought to be Dr. Wang Ching-wei, a former Prime Minister, who favours reaching a compromise with Japan, and General Ho Ying-chmg, the Minister for War. The Domei news agency expresses the opinion that Japan is likely to break off diplomatic, relations with China after the fall of Nanking, which will reduce Marshal Chiang Kai-shek’s Government to the status of a local administration. Marshal Chiang Kai-shek has left Nanking. It is believed that he has gone to Nan-chang. The German Ambassador to Tokyo (Herr von Dircksen), after the talks of the German Minister to China (Dr. Trautmann) with Marshal Chiang Kai-shek, conferred with the Japanese Foreign Minister (Mr K. Hirota), possibly about China’s peaceful surrender of Nanking. A message from Shanghai states that certain Central Government circles are believed to have declared that negotiations may be possible if the Japanese terms are reasonable.