JAPAN’S WARLIKE PREPARATIONS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20784, 20 July 1937, Page 7

JAPAN’S WARLIKE PREPARATIONS

WAR OFFICE WARNING PRESSING CHINA FOR SATISFACTION EXTENSIVE PLANNING FOR HOSTILITIES United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph— Copyright (Received July 19, 7.40 p.m.) LONDON, July 18. The Tokio correspondent of "The Times ’ says: "The War Office Issued a statement in which It said that Japan could not wait indefinitely for a fulfilment of the Chinese promises, and must press for satisfaction. Military preparations, for the first time were evident in Tokio to-day, when fleets of requisitioned lorries were driven through the streets, amid the citizens who waved flags. The Japanese Cabinet has made an allocation of 19,000,000 yen from reserves for military purposes.

Japanese Activity

The Peiping correspondent of “The Daily Telegraph” says: Japanese troops in the neighbourhood of Peiping are being heavily reinforced at the rate of 10 trains daily. This accounts for Japan’s hardening attitude. The Japanese now are hourly expected to begin an advance along the PeipingHankow railway. Meanwhile the Chinese Twenty-Ninth Army, which the Japanese regard as particularly unfriendly, have built a formidable threeline trench system on the Peiping plain north of Lukouchiao, but It does not possess artillery and other essential equipment.

The Nanking correspondent of "The Daily Telegraph” reports that Japanese aeroplanese machine-gunned Chinese trains on the Peiping-Hankow railway, killing or wounding 10 passengers. The Chinese Foreign Office protested to the Japanese Embassy reserving the right to demand compensation for these illegalities. MASSING OF TROOPS NO SIGN OF SETTLEMENT United Press Assoc lotion—By Electric Telesranh Copyright (Received July 20, 12.15 a.m.) TOKYO, July 19. The Dome! Agency declares that the Chinese are concentrating their troops on North China in defiance of Colonel Okido’s warning. Tlie "production" Party, the extreme Right Wingers affiliated with the Black-Dragon Society, in a letter to the British Embassy asserted that the Japanese action was based solely on self-defence and required Britain to refrain from Intervention. China Corrects Report A Tientsin message says that the Japanese military authorities now declare that the report that General Sung Chen Yuan had agreed to the Japanese demands is premature. General Sung Chen Yuan merely called to pay compliments. It is er' ’.mated that 14,500 Japanese troops are stationed at Hopei. Four batteries of field artillery arrived last night.

CHINA PREPARES REPLY INSISTING ON RESPECT OF SOVEREIGN RIGHTS United 1. eaa Association—By Electric Telettrnr’h r’cnvrlvht (Received July 20, 12.15 p.m.) NANKING, July 19. The Chinese reply to Japan, which is being drafted after a long-distance phone talk with Marshal Chiang Kai Shek, who is on holiday at Ruling, will Insist on respect of territorial and sovereign rights. British Troops Withdrawn. All British trops except one company will be withdrawn from Hang Hai Kwan and concentrated on Tientsin. In the meanwhile the Embassy guards at Peking have been reinforced.

SEEKING PEACE IN THE ORIENT DIPLOMATIC CIRCLES ACTIVE United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Uonvrieht TOKIO, July 18. The Cabinet decided to continue efforts to localise the North China dispute. Meantime, M. Hikada, the Japanese Charge d’Affaires, conferred with Mr Wang Chung Hui, the Chinese Foreign Minister at Nankin, and asked the Chinese Government not to take any measure calculated to interfere with the fulfilment of the three point agreement, which the Japanese allege was reached on July 11, with the Chinese administration of North China.

This agreement, which the Chinese deny having concluded, is stated to consist of the acceptance of responsibility for the previous fighting, an apology, the punishment of the leading culprits, and steps to control the antl-Japanese movement and communism in North China. Mr Wang Chung Hu! told Mr Hikada that he would probably give a reply on July 19. Japanese Attitude The Dome! news agency understands that there is no question of an ultimatum as reported, but when Colonel Okldo, the Japanese military resident officer, earlier saw General Ho Ylngchln. the Chinese War Minister, he intimated that the Japanese army would possibly take measures if China despatched Central Government troops to North China or used the air force.

The spokesman for the Japanese War Office said since the original clash at Lukuochlao, the Japanese had made extraordinary efforts to reach a local settlement. China, however, had not only shown no sincerity in carrying out the agreement of July 11, but there were indications that Nankin was making feverish war preparations against Japan, who had been obliged therefore to show a "clean-cut attitude.”