FAR EAST

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 December 1940, Page 5

FAR EAST

U.S.A. LOAN TO CHINA [BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] TOKIO, December 7. “Such a loan is tantamount to challenging war with Japan,” declared the newspaper “Hochi” to-day, in commenting editorially on the decision of the United States to grant China a loan of 100,000,000 dollars. “It is like throwing bombs against the foundation work for the establishment of a new order in East Asia. It has .given an unpleasant and unforgettable impression to the Japanese people.”

JAP NAVAL COMMAND. TOKIO, December 7. Vice-Admiral Boshiro Hosogaka has been appointed Supreme Commander of the Japanese Fleet in South China waters succeeding ViceAdmiral Umataro Tanimoto, who has been assigned to the General Staff of the Navy. Admiral Tanimoto has an audience with the s Emperor on Tuesday, regarding the activities of the

Japanese Fleet in South China waters. AMBASSADOR TO NANKING. TOKIO, December 8. The Emperor has installed Mr Ku mataro Honda, formerly Japanese Ambassador to Germany and to Turkey, as Ambassador to the Narking Government, succeeding' General Abe. SCRAP EMBARGO TOKIO, December 6. AH the directors of a Japanese iron works, the largest in Japan resigned as a result qf the Australian and United States embargo on sending scrap iron to Japan. The chairman, Hachisaburo Hiroa, ’said that in view of those embargoes the iron industry must be reorganised in order to cope with the new situation. A self-suf-ficiency * iron policy must be formulated in Japan, Manchuhuo, and China.

THAI RAIDS. HANOI, December 7. Thai troops and aeroplanes on Friday repeatedly raided IndoChinese towns on the Mekong. There

were no casualties. Thai aeroplanes also twice machine-gunned Poipet. The French did not reply. NO COUNTER-ATTACK. (Recd. December 9, 11.15 a.m.) SHANGHAI, December 8. Despite the crossing of the IndoChina frontier on Friday, by Thai troops at Poipet, and the machinegunning of Poipet by Thai warplanes, the Indo-China forces failed to coun-ter-attack. This is stated by a Japanese report from Hanoi. ’ The planes are said to have acted in concert with the troops crossing the frontier in Cambodia, while later, Thai planes allegedly bombed Vientiene.

FRONTIERS CLOSED. (Recd. December 9, 11.15 a.m.) CHUNGKING, December 8. The Government authorities have ordered the Indo-China frontier to be closed to all passenger traffic, both. .Chinese and foreign, because of the. inability of the Chinese authorities to guarantee the safety of the lives of travellers, along the 90 kilometres gap between the present termination of the Chinese section of the Yunnan railway, and the Indo-China frontier.