Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY. DECEMBER 21. 1937 THE FAR EASTERN SITUATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 21 December 1937, Page 6

Nelson Evening Mail TUESDAY. DECEMBER 21. 1937 THE FAR EASTERN SITUATION

JUDGED in accordance with the I rules and customs which govern! civilised nations, the Japanese! have no case when it comes to discussing their wanton attack upon the American gunboat Panay. This statement is proved by the fact that the Japanese Ambassador al Washington, acting doubtless under the instructions of his Government, has made a public apology lo the American people for the atrocity committed by his fellow-countrymen who boarded and bombed the Panay. Ihe nature of the situation is indicated by a leading Japanese journal which entreats English and Americans “to show magnanimity and appreciate the sincere feelings of the Japanese” in their rej gret for an incident which is so little to their national credit. Much | will depend upon the reply which i the Mikado makes to President Roosevelt s letter, the text of which naturally has not been disclosed. If "the Son of Heaven" comes to earth like an ordinary mortal, and does his utmost to make honourable amends for the j crime committed by his subjects when they attacked the Panay, the situation will greatly improve; but if the Japanese Emperor, influenced by those of his subjects who sympathise with the perpetrators of the crime, shields the culprits or seeks in any way to belittle the extremely serious nature of the incident, the situation may become extremely dangerous. It is not that the two great Englishspeaking nations desire to interfere in any way with the economic or political affairs of the Japanese, but that they intend lo preserve “the open door" in China, and the trend of Japanese policy appears to be in the direction of reserving China as a sphere of Japanese trade, to the exclusion of other nations —especially the United States and Great Britain —whose interest in China s trade antedates Japan s emergence as a civilised State three-quarters of a century ago. It is preposterous and unthinkable that the Japanese shall be allowed to enslave China, and prevent the world's most enlightened nations from developing that trade which is so greatly to her advantage as well as to themselves. Apparently the attack on the Panay was an attempt to demonstrate to the Americans not merely the weakness of their position in the Orient, but the superiority of the Japanese and their intention to dominate the Far East. Ihe London “Times" expressed the general opinion of the civilised nations when it said, “The sinking of the Panay leaves a dark stain on the honour and humanity of the Japanese fighting forces. It is not for foreigners to explain how the honour and humanity of those forces have deteriorated to such an extent as made possible the atrocity perpetrated on the American vessels; it rests with the Japanese to restore their reputation and the civilised world’s confidence in them. This can be done only by effectually and permanently preventing the recurrence of such crimes as those which have shocked civilisation, and have done so much to injure Japan’s reputation.