Q. What is the government's future policy toward Japan?
A—After the outbreak of the Lu-Xouchiao incident, I definitely declared in a speech in Kuling, that this would make the limit of cur endurance, I also listed four minimum conditions for the settlement of the incident, These conditions have been made known to the nation in particular, and to the world in general. There is absolutely no possibility of changing or revising them.
I said then that we would not seek war but would meet war when forced upon us. Since we have arrived at the "limit of-endurance;" how could we consider the state of affairs in Peiping and Tientsin as a local question and let the Japanese military encroach upon our territorial and sovereign integrity, or let them set up another puppet regime?
The Government has the responsibility of defending national territory and sovereign rights and of protecting the people. The only thing to do now is to put into opera-lion its comprehensive plan- to lead ihe entire nation in a struggle for ihe protection of the nation to the very bitter end.
Henceforth, absolutely no local settlement is possible We. must reas a result of firing by the Chinese, but-this was quickly extinguished by the Japanese troops there.
The fighting in Tientsin, accor to Chinese reports, started early t morning when Japanese troops in the east, west and central stations opened machine-gun and rifle fire on members of the Peace Preservation Corps stationed on roads leading to these stations.
The action, Chinese sources state, was "apparently for the purpose of evicting the Chinese from.the approaches to the stations." Later, the Japanese were alleged to have occupied a Chinese police station in the former Belgian area, "Counter-Attack" Order Following these developments, the eace Preservation Corps were "given general orders to counter attack" and soon fighting became general.
The fiercest engagement occurred at the Japanese aerodrome, where Japanese bombers repeatedly mach-me-gunned and bombed Chinese troops and snipers' shelters in the open country.
Awkened by the firing, the Chinese populace obtained a first-class view of the engagement fróm the roofs of houses in the Concessions.
A Japanese military communique, (Continued on page 14)
(Continued on page 14)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.