Japanese Hostility To Britain Heightened By Acts and Words

Northern Advocate, 14 July 1939, Page 7

Japanese Hostility To Britain Heightened By Acts and Words

(Received 2.30 p.m.)

LONDON, July 12. A NEW JAPANESE THREAT TO THE RIGHTS OF THIRD POWERS, ENDANGERING THE LIVES AND PROPERTY OF NATIONALS, HAS ARISEN AS A RESULT OF A WARN ING TO EVACUATE CHUANCHOW, TUNGSHAN AND CHOOHSIEN. The Japanese Foreign Office spokesman said that the ports be closed by means of booms at 8 p.m, local time on Saturday, before which time third Powers’ warships and mer chantmen would be requested to leave. Naval activity in the redisposition of warships is Britain’s initial reply to growing fury of anti-British demon straticns, says a Shanghai message, % The British consulate at Tsingtao, around which .a naval guard is stationed, asked the Japanese for protection and warned them that they would be responsible for any damage. H.M.S. Diamond is going to Tsingta'o* l instead of H.M.S. Lowestoft, which was diverted to an unknown destination. H.M.S. Sandwich is hastening to Tientsin, and H.M.S. Falmouth is proceeding to Wei-hai-wei.

Frankenstein Monster.

“The Times” To'.do correspondent says there is real danger that the Japanese Government may be creating a Frankenstein monster capable of wrecking reasonable settlement at the Tientsin conference, by significantly refraining from officially disapproving of the spread of anti-British agitation. Every telegraph pole in Tokio is plastered with hostile slogans, and retired generals are haranguing mass meetings of vociferous patriots. A more sinister development is the spate of anti-British meetings organised by municipal and prefectural villages councils and there are similar agitations in China. The Japanese public is apparently naive enough to believe that the Chinese in the occupied areas are unconstrainedly flocking to anti-British demonstrations. More extensive demonstrations are planned for the week-end.