LEAGUE CONDEMNS JAPAN.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 697, 25 February 1933, Page 1

LEAGUE CONDEMNS JAPAN.

Assembly Accepts Report of Committee of Nineteen.

NIPPON’S DELEGATES LEAVE CHAMBER.

'T'HE LEAGUE OF NATIONS ASSEMBLY has condemned . Japan’s actions in Manchuria. At a dramatic special sesJa P an s vote was the only one recorded against the report of the Committee of Nineteen, and Mr Matsuoka led the Japanese delegates from the Chamber.

The report of the Committee of Nineteen set out the following main points:— troops of the occupied areas outside the zone of the South Manchurian Railway, within which she is permitted to station troops under the existing treaties, was demanded. (2) The establishment of an organisation. under Chinese sovereignty, which

would provide a wide measure of | autonomy for Manchuria, was recommended. (3) “ The maintenance and recogni- ! Hon of the present regime in Mani ehukuo is incompatible with the prini ciples of existing international obligaI tions with good understanding ” i between China and Japan. (4) “ Members of the League will i continue not to recognise Manchukuo i either de jure or de facto.”

TENSE ATMOSPHERE. Full Muster of Smiling Japanese. United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. < Received February 25, 8.45 a.m.) GENEVA, February 24. In a tense atmosphere in which there was a full muster of smiling Japanese, the League of N r ations Assembly discussed the report of the Committee of Xineteen on the situation in Man. churia. The Chinese delegate, Mr Yen, dramatically declared: “ Because of the lust for usurpation of power by military chieftains, bent on lighting the instruments of peace and public opinion, Japan stands isolated.” The League’s findings were a crushing but fair verdict against Japanese militarism. He congratulated the League on its courageous verdict. Mr Matsuoka said that Japan was sadly disappointed to have to reject the committee’s report, but it failed to realise the appalling situation resulting from twenty years’ disastrous revolution in China, which had been derelict in its duties as a sovereign State, and as a result Japan had been the greatest sufferer. The revolution had shattered China and detached her dependencies under the Manchu dynasty. ' hin a had obstructed Japan’s efforts to make Manchuria a land of peace and order. The people's distress and miserv were beyond the imagination of the average Westerner. The end of the catastrophe was not yet in sight. Be*9/? -Assembly voted he wanted ' hina’s position made clear. On the committee’s recommendation there snould be some form of international control in China, which hitherto had nroken her international pledges and had not respected principles. By 49 votes to 1 the Assembly adopted committee’s report. Japan was the minority. Assembly Hushed. The climax to a dramatic sitting was reached when, declaring that Tapan could not accept the draft report, Mr Matsuoka led the delegation out of the 1 namber. Mr. Matsuoka declared that Japan had reached the limit of its endeavours to co-operate with the league, nevertheless it would continue to strive to establish peace in the Far East and to strengthen its cordial relations with other nations. r Matsuoka’s declaration does not reveal whether Japan intends to leave the League, though the withdrawal of the edelegate.% indicates non-co-opera-tion, but Mr Sugimura, Foreign Undersecretary of the League, did not accompany the delegates when they left the Chamber. After the vote, the President, M Hyams. reminded the Assembly that it taced a grave problem. He recalled that under Article 12 of the Covenant the signatories agreed that “ in no case would they resort to war till three months after the adoption of the report by the Council.” Judging by the hush_ which fell on the Assembly, this proviso appeared to have been' overlooked Mr Matsuoka’s speech is considered to be one of the most pungent ever heard at Geneva. His voice rose shrilly and he seemed almost on the brink of tears as he closed with an appeal to the League to reject the report. “ I beg you not to adopt the report for the sake of the peace of the Far East and the peace of the world,” he said. After the Japanese had dramatically withdrawn, Mr Matsuoka told journalists in the lobby: “ We are not coming back. „ Interviewed, Mr Matsuoka declared- ” ® desire to remain friendly to Aus* tralia and New Zealand in common with other peoples, and bear no malice to anyone ” Will Not Give Up Mandates. r Matsuoka seemed surprised when the New Zealand Press Association representative mentioned the New Zealand and Australian anxiety concerning the Pacific, and particularly for the mandates. He said: “ Tell Australia and New Zealand that Japan wants peace in the Pacific, and to continue trading with Australia and New Zealand. I say emphatically, however, that Japan will not forgo her mandates. We were given the mandates before the Versailles Treaty was signed.

If anybody wants them, they know how to take them, namely, by "bringing gunboats.” ADOPTED UNANIMOUSLY. British Official Wireless. (Received February 25, 1.15 p.m.) RUGBY, February 24. When the report of the Committee of Nineteen was adopted by the Assembly of the League, Siam abstained from voting. Thirteen nations which are members of the League were not represented, and as no account was taken of the votes of the parties to the dispute, M. Hymans announced that the report had been adopted unanimously. He added: “ The recommendation of the Assembly is contained in the report, which represents an offer to solve the dispute. That offer has been rejected by one of the parties to the dispute, which has decided to continue its own policy without considering the opinions of the other members.” He invited the nations not to relax their efforts to i reach a solution of the dispute. During the debate which preceded the voting, Mr Yen (China! accepted the report, and said that in view of its terms the sufferings of the Chinese people during the past seventeen months of wanton aggression had not been in vain. This evening the Assembly resumed, and agreed to appoint an Advisory Committee to follow the situation in the Far East and to assist the Assembly in performing its duties in accordance with Article 3 of the Covenant. The committee will also assist members of the League to concert their actions and attitude with non-member States. The committee will be composed of the members of the Committee of Nineteen and representatives of Canada and the Netherlands. The United States and Russia will be invited to assist the committee. The committee will report to the Assembly whenever it deems fit. CANADA’S DECISION. Why She Voted Against Japan. (Received February 25, 1.30 p.m.) OTTAWA, February 24. Applause from all sides of the House greeted the announcement by Mr Bennett, Prime Minister, to-day, that the Canadian delegate to the League of Nations had voted in support of the report of the Committee of Nineteen. Mr Bennett read to the House the statement made before the League by the Canadian delegate, Dr W. A. Riddell. Mr Mackenzie King said: “We on this side are heartily in accord with him in the statement he has just made.” Mr 4< J- S. Woodworth (Labour) added: “ Although some of us regret that certain action was not taken earlier.” Dr Riddell’s statement before the League said: “ The faith of the world in the possibility of a peaceful settlement is shaken. If this faith is destroyed the structure of security slowly built up on the foundations of scrupulous respect for international covenants will be undermined. For these reasons we must vote for the adoption of the committee’s report.” Dr Riddell stressed the point that Canada had painstakingly followed the policy which she considered most helpful in the crisis. JAPAN SHAKEN. Revolution Feared if War Lasts Long. (Received February 25, 2 p.m.) GENEVA, February 24 The correspondent here of the Sydney “ Sun ” says that the spontaneity with which the League Assembly consented to the adoption of the report of the Corrr.iittee of Nineteen has undoubtedly shaken the Japanese, who are now apprehensive of the magnitude of their undertaking. It is predicted in some quarters that | the conflict will continue for a few weeks, after which Japan’s parlous finances will cause internal chaos and the terminating of the operations. Japanese here admit that a lengthy war might cause a revolution.