Consul-General Outlines Events Up to Breaking Out of Hostilities in Shanghai Shanghai, Sept, 24. THE following has been circulated by the Japanese Consul-General, in Shanghai as a statement of Japan's case in the present Sino-Japanese hostilities in the Shanghai area. Mr. Sue masa Okamoto presents the document, dated September 22, 1937, in his capacity as Consul-General and Japanese Civil Delegate of the Joint Commission established by the Peace Agreement of 1932, In view of the persistent, Insidious and dishonest attempts of certain publications and spokesmen to. re~ Dresent Japan og" the culprit and aggressor in the present hostilities and around Shanghai, it is deemed Advisable, in the interests of justice and truth." to make" public an Authoritative ang authentic account of the events leading up to this outbreaie, with a. brief but necessary excursion into occurrences at the Peace Conference which ended the Sino-dopanese convict of 1932 in this Ieality. For this purpose. oficial records have been made available is. justified "on the tronnd that the Chinese Mayor cur~ cully communicated garbled and Highly coloured information: to the Fress_ concerning the meetings to which these records refer. It is very rich to be deplored. that the. pub-HeaUone alluded to include some of the foreign Journals of supposed re-ute, "A few observations herein on other alters germane to the principal issue may not be out of place During the peace parleys in 1092. the Japanese delegates laboured hard {for "the creation of @ demilitarized Zone to completely encircle Shanghai, the design being. of course, to remove the danger, once and for all, of hos-Uulldes occurring again in this great metropolitan area and. shipping port which would bring disaster, misery and. loss to. foreigners and "Chinese falke, These delegates only abanden-{eq their efforts In this direction the instigation of the representatives ing Friendly Powers, assurances from. the atives, including the Chinese, gathered ct the Conference, that "a Round Table Conference. discuss the future status of Shan would be convened shortly after the Tiquidation of the conflict. 'These fsaurances. in deference to Chiness susceptibilities, "were embodied "in the Peace Agreement of May 5, 1982, under' the euphemiste term pend= Ing Tater arrangements" (vide Art AD. Accordingly "Japan contente hersel{ with provisions tn_ the ureement inding the. Chinese {ponding tater arrangements) to) remain In the positions to which their troops had retreated and the Japanese aide" to withdraw to the regions occupied by their armed forces prior to. the outbreak' of hostilities, thus creating the neutral zone along. the northern and eastern boundaries the International. settlement, in' the full expectation that the promised Hound. Table" Conference would Aetermine measurer for safeguarding 'Shanghai against any fighting in and round its entire borders in' the {ulure, However, despite Japan's Inalslent efforts, the Chinese side. encouraged by the Talsser faire attitude fof the Participating Friendly Powers, Ihave successfully' resisted. driving th intervening years. the Japanese mand for the. convocation of the Mound Table Conference. "Thus the Japanese purpose of removing Shanghai from the area of any future Hsillties hag Been set at nought troop Passage During discussions at meetings of the Joint Commission, which was sot under the terms of the 1882 Peace Agreement, it was agreed that there should not'be any passage of Chinese {oops through the mentioned neutral zone, unless" with. the permission of the "Japanese side who would, in their discretion, allow Chinese (reaps Ju. transit. to other points. to. pass trough' by train provided otineathereog was given. It is. thie clear that the neutral zone was to be. considered "demilitarized. area, 'Moreover, It Is provided In Att the 1002. 'Agreement that the "Toreor fof the two sides will so far ay lice their control cease around Shani Ihal, all' and every form of hostile et, It cannot be gainsald that the system of elaborate defence works. Which the revelations of the present Iostlitieg have now proved to exist in the neutral zone, are not "hostile facts", within the meaning of Art. 1 of Hie said agreement, or that the construction of these works does not Violate the "essentials of a de~ tilitarized area," Yet these defence works by their nature must nave taken a long time to construct and" thus" constriction must have commenced long. before the. present Foatilities eventuated. "The Japanese side had information regarding this construction a5 far back as Novernber 1096, andthe matter was taken by them with the locat Chinese authorities. who, however, "dented that any "war" preparations" were being made in that area, Neverihe-Tess evidence of such war" prepars-tong grew stronger as time went on-Yeading ultimately toa Japanese demand for an investigation by" the Joint Commission. Ata meeting of he Commission on June 23 last, thr Japanese delegation - communicated their reports regarding the construc-on of Chinese military works in the neutral area, particularly at Woo ung, and asked for an inspection be the neutral members of the Commis slon'to determine whether or not the reports were true. Moreover the Sapanese delegation reported that they" had Information the Peace Preservation Corps in. the militarized area had "been very Targoly Increased (estimated number 6500," over the 2000 which the pres-fent Chinese Mayor had assured the Tapanese side in 1032 would be their number, That" assurance algo em= braced an undertaking that the Peace Preservation Corps referred to would eavlpped with ight orme rach ries" and. revolvers, whereas. the Japanese side had Information that the Corps had since possessed heavy armament, including tanks, and were Feally indistinguishable from regular Chinese. army units. The Chinese delegates atthe meeting relied on the absence of an' express provision the 1932 agreement prohibiting the construction of military works In the neutral area and for an inspection the neutral members as suggested fand succeeded thus' in evading the Inoue. However, they were nosied by the Teutral members to make a voluntary declaration of the composition and number' of the Peace Preservation Corps and on the question of any forfications within the sovealled prohibited zone, thus indicating, by Inference, that the neutral members held it was the intention of the Participating Friendly Powers that such matters were to be within' the competence of the Joint Commission." The Chinese Civit Delegate (the Mayor) replied that "nothing so far undertaken by the 'Chinese' authorities (in the area eon cerned) held behind it any host Intention "oF warlike. preparation.
ihe Chinese Civil Delegate? denied that any warlike preparations had" been made by. the Chinese: authorities as alleged by the Japanese Civil Delegate". These quotations fre from the ofteial minutes of the nieeting which wore approved by the Chinese delegation and are interest Ing' in "the light of" subsequent revelation. "At the meeting referred {to the Japanese civil Delegate re vealedly emphasized the grave con Sequences. which would. arise if his allegations about the state of faire the prohibited area proved to be correct, The Japanese suspicions regarding he Chinese military preparations in the prohibited area were not allayed by the assurances of the Chinese Civil Delegate above referred to a they had reliable information that these "preparations. "Including the construction of tortieas' (pill Boxes) fand the armament of the Pesce! Preservation Corps, which apparently was being' augmented by" regular army "units, "were being steadily carried on. "Nevertheless, in further~ nee of their desire to avoid a con let, the Japanese authorities eon. cuded 'Pourparlers direct with the Chinese authorities, with a view ta Thaving' these illegsi menaces to the Settlement removed." However. ne} success oltonded these' efforts, and at 4 Consular Body sheeting on Ausust Jo, "the Japanese Consul-General (concurrently the Japanese Civil Delegate on the Joint Commission) in reviewing his eflrts to avoid a elazh. pointed out that the Chinese military reparations in the prohibited area, Including preparations in close proximity'fo\the Headquarters of the Japanese Naval Landing Party and the regions where Japanese residents lived in great numbers, had become centrated. with almost nightly anauuvres of the Peace Preserva~ on. Corps, li pointing to an ex. pectation on the Chinese side of an! Impending" clash, 'The Javanes> Consul-General stated at that meet ug that the Japanese naval authorlties were exercising. great forbear bice in the face of this, provocative Attitude andthe Japanese Naval Landing Party had' even retrained from holding is customary hhanwuvres marder 10 avoid any, aggravation of. the situation. He expressed the opinion that the Masor was unwilling or winable to stop the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.