REPLY TO JAPAN

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 5, 5 July 1940, Page 8

REPLY TO JAPAN

BURMA SUPPLY ROUTE

USE BY SOVIET & U.S.

OFFICIAL COMMENT IN TOKIO

<By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright.)

(Received July 5, 10 a.m.)

LONDON, July 4,

The Associated Press learns that no instructions have yet been sent to the British Ambassador in Tokio, Sir Robert Craigie, regarding the Japanese demand to close the arms route to Chungking across Burma, but they will probably be sent shortly. The general expectation is that the tenor of the reply will be to refuse the demand. Most of the goods at present passing are either Russian or American, and consequently it is felt in London that Japan should approach Russia and America before Britain. A Tokio message states that Sir Robert Craigie visited the Vice Foreign Minister, Mr. Tani, and informed him that the British reply regarding Burma had not been received but was expected within a week. It is reported from Hong Kong that the Japanese have established control stations at five key points on the highways and railways connecting French In do-China and China. The Japanese Navy vice-spokesman. Captain Yuzura Okuma, expressed the view that Japan was not particularly relieved by the admission by Colonel Frank Knox and Senator Walsh in ' Washington on Tuesday that the American navy was at present unable to prevent Japan getting control of the East Indies. He remarked that actions spoke louder than words and such actions as would be acceptable to Japan would be to cease, first, giving aid to General Chiang Kai-shek; second, obstructing Japan's efforts to dispose oi the China conflict; and third, trade coercion and threats. "GRAVE CONCERN." Captain Okum'a said that in as much as the stoppage of war supplies to Chungking had an important bearing on the settlement of the Chinese affair, the* Japanese Government was waiting for the British reply to the protest regarding Burma with "grave concern and firm determination. "The impression in Japan," he continued, "is that Britain is deliberately delaying the reply and such an impression is aggravating Japanese sentiment towards Britain." Regarding the evacuation of Hong Kong, he said, "Britain is resorting to a trick to attract the attention of the United States -,to serve her own purP°The "Central China Daily News," the Shanghai newspaper of the leader of the puppet Government, Mr Wang Ching-wei, accused the Municipal Council of "conniving and instigating" the assassination oi Mushihying, an employlee of the "Daily News." ■ The Propaganda Minister, Mr. Lin Pai-sheng, accused the council of adopting a "challenging attitude" by promising police protection to persons on the black list. He said that retrocession of the concessions to the Nanking Gov- ' eminent was only a matter of time and, in view of this, any council with sense would not attempt to challenge Nan- ' king, now.