"Preparations for Force"

"Preparations for Force"

Japan last week sparred cautiously for a new body-hold on China. The Japanese high command were with their Emperor Hirohito watching autumn maneuvers at Kyushu. The Chinese high command were, with the greatest unanimity ever seen in China, at the Kuomintang Party Conference in Nanking. The Nanking Government plumed themselves on their brilliance in having called in all silver coin and bullion (TIME, Nov. 11), thus forcing the Japanese-dominated banks of North China to declare for either Japan or China. Last week Japanese Army men warned the North China banks not to deliver the silver to Nanking. Slowly maturing was the Japanese-inspired plan for five provinces of North China to declare themselves independent of Nanking, as four years ago Manchuria did.

Profound is the caution with which Japan has moved. There has been an "incident," the murder of a "Japanese marine in uniform" in Shanghai (TIME, Nov. 18). and this touched off other incidents last week as Chinese all over China roused one another against the Japanese menace. Mobs in Shanghai stoned Japanese stores and 150,000 Chinese fled the Chinese quarter of Shanghai into the International Settlement, ruled by Occidentals under a U. S. citizen. Secretary General Stirling Fessenden of the Shanghai Municipal Council. What chiefly irritated Japanese last week was the curt announcement of the Occidental police of the International Settlement that the Japanese marine's uncaught murderer seems also to have been wearing a Japanese marine uniform.

Reasons for Japan's caution last week were two: 1) it already controls North China in all but externals; 2) it wants an airtight technical case against Nanking, to avoid any chance that the League of Nations will declare against Japan the sanctions tested out on Italy.

Last week Japan and the Nanking Government angled for the war lords of North China with counter bribes, appeals and threats. Japan appeared to land two at once. Sung Cheh-yuan, Chinese commandant of the Peiping and Tientsin garrisons, and Yin Ju-keng, commissioner of the demilitarized zone in North China, who obligingly sent out a general telegram demanding autonomy for North China. Doubtful Japanese catches were Chahar's Governor Hsiao Chen-yung and Suiyuan's Governor Fu Tso-yi. The Chinese Government meanwhile appeared to land Shang Chen, Governor of Hopei. It went on angling hopefully for Yen Hsi-shan, Shansi's "Model Governor," and Han Fu-chu: Shantung's greedy Governor.

Japan last week moved 5,000 troops to Shanhaikwan on the Manchukuoan North China border, 10,000 to Chinchow, rolled up trains loaded with tanks, planes, horses. In retort, Nationalist Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek advanced "toward" North China 300,000 Chinese troops, hoping to overawe the North China war lords.

With what delicacy Japan was trying to move was shown last week by Japan's Ambassador to China Akira Ariyoshi. who told newshawks, "I have confidence that the Nanking Government will deal successfully with the autonomy movement, although I admit that some Japanese military circles might view it with sympathy." Next day Japanese Army headquarters in North China upset the Ambassador's applecart of caution by blatantly announcing: "The Japanese Army is greatly concerned in the development of the autonomy movement in North China. . . . In the event that General Chiang Kai-shek attempts to block this movement, the Japanese Army in Manchukuo, in cooperation with the Japanese garrison in North China, is prepared to use force and will take drastic action. All preparations for that purpose have been completed."

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