JAP. INSISTENCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20628, 2 December 1941, Page 5

JAP. INSISTENCE

BELLICOSE TALK "CUT BURMA ROAD" INVASION OF INDIES (Elcc. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Dec. 2, noon.) LONDON, Dec. 1. The Tokio correspondent of the Associated Press of Great Britain said authoritative Japanese quarters to-day stated that Japan desired to continue the Washington discussions for at least a fortnight. That Japan is not prepared, however, to abandon her southward expansion aims, was revealed by General Risaburo Ando, addressing a rally celebrating the anniversary ol Japan’s formal recognition of the Nanking regime. He predicted that Japan would try to cut the Burma Road and move into the Netherlands East Indies. General Ando said: "As Holland is completely occupied by the Germans, the Netherlands East Indies will be summarily treated as jo n as Japan decides to move in that area.” The Dome* agency reports that the Japanese Cabinet met at an extraordinary se=s;on of an hour and a quarter at the residence of the Prime Minister, General Tojo, who detailed the latest developments in the Washington conversations. U.S. Trend “Regrettable” Referring to the Wastnngton negotiations, General Tojo said it was regrettable that the United States Government was “showing a tendency to refuse to understand the actualities in East Asia, but was applying fantastic principles inconsistent with the present world conditions and thereby tending to hamper the establishment of the new order in East Asia.” It is authoritatively disclosed in Manila that the Burma Road soon will be defended from Japanese air attack by an all-American unit composed of American planes flown by American pilots. All the personnel will be listed officially as members of the Chinese air force, though the majority are former regular members of the United States army and navy. It is officially stated in Washington that the American Secretary of State. Mr. Cordell Hull, met the Japanese Ambassador, Admiral Nomura, and the special envoy, Mr. Kurusu, to-day President Roosevelt arrived at 11.15 a.m. Mr. Hull conferred with the Japanese envoys for an hour and five minutes. In an interview with the press Mr. Kurusu said he had not brought the final answer to Mr. Hull’s document. When asked about General Tojo’s reported utterance, “East Asia must be purged of British and American interference,” Mr. Kurusu said he thought General Tojo had been “badly misquoted in the news despatches. We are asking for the full text.” When asked whether it would be safe to say that the negotiations were being resumed to-day, Mr. Kurusu quickly retorted: “They have never been broken off.” He added that continuation would be a better word.

The Domei agency in Tokio quoted Japanese Foreign Office officials as saying that General Tojo’s belligerent speech had “been misinterpreted.” The officials pointed out that General Tojo meant purge British and American exploitation in the Far East rather than the Powers themselves.