The War that Japan Lost

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22876, 24 November 1939, Page 8

The War that Japan Lost

The agreement between the Russian and Japanese Governments over the composition of the commission which is to delimit the borders of Manchukuo and Outer Mongolia can be regarded as the winding up of an undeclared war between Russia and Japan which has had a profound influence on the course of events in the Far East. Since the outbreak of the war in China, there have been three clashes between Russian and Japanese troops—the Ranchatzu affair in 1937, the Changkufeng affair in 1938, and the Nomonhan affair of last August. The first two were little more than conflicts between border patrols; the third, which is the subject of the present negotiations, was a battle between modern armies. Because of the remoteness of the Nomonhan region, the only information available about the extent and nature of the hostilities was that given in the official communiques issued in Moscow and Tokyo. Moscow was content to admit that fighting was in progress; Tokyo claimed sensational victories, particularly in the air. On October 12, however, the Japanese army authorities issued a statement which was amazing in its frankness. For 10 days at the end of August, it was admitted, Japanese forces had been compelled to fight a desperate rearguard action against “ Soviet-Mongolian forces

“of greatly superior strength, particularly in “ mechanised and armoured units.” The official estimate*of the Japanese casualties was 18,000. “ The experience of the Nomonhan affair,” the statement concluded, “ has brought home more “ forcibly to the Japanese army the great im- “ portance of the spiritual training of troops “ and the mechanisation of the army in modern “ warfare.” It is apparent from the comments of Japanese newspapers that these revelations have come as a severe shock to a public which had been led to suppose that the Nomonhan engagement, like previous frontier engagements, proved the Japanese army to be the most powerful and efficient fighting force in East Asia; For reasons of their own, the army authorities have found it expedient to state the truth; and the desire of the Japanese Government to reach a complete accord with Russia, economic as well as political, is perhaps an outcome of their frankness.