RUSSIA AND JAPAN

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 146, 21 June 1924, Page 7

RUSSIA AND JAPAN

STATE OF NEGOTIATIONS,

NEW YORK, 19th June. The "New York Times's" Tokio correspondent interviewed the Foreign Minister, Mr*' Shidehara, who categorically denied a Paris . report that a secret treaty exists between Japan and Russia whereby Japan would supply heavy artillery and warships to Russia in exchange for oil concessions in Sakhalin. Mr. Shidehara stated that such rumours were utterly without foundation. He also denied that Japan was backing the Piusso-Chinese Treaty. The Foreign Office pointed out that Japan and Russia had reached no agreement. It is known, however, that Japan expects to obtain oil, coal, and timber concessions in Northern Sakhalin and compensation for the massacre at Nikolaievsk. Tho negotiations between Mr. Koshizawa, tho Japanese Minister at Pekin, and M. Karakhan, the Soviet envoy, have revolved particularly round this point, and are now at a standstill, while Mr. Koshizawa is en route to Tokio to inform the new Government of the status of the negotiations.

The correspondent learns that Mr. Koshizawa will ask the Government to moderate its demands in view of Japan's need of fuel and Russia's determination to grant no concessions without selfprotection provisos.