"The Times"
London, Jon. 17.
"The secret Is out. Now we know what the Japanese Imperial Couneit was doing last week-—it was revi ing the dictionary," says a leader the *News-Chronicle" to-day the statement issued by Japan yesterday revealing her" definite Policy towards China, Henceforth, it says, the word war" will mean something other than the armed invasion. and devastation of China, "The territorial integrity of China" will mean its occupation by Japanese troops.
"Ghinw's' sovereignty" will be_interpreter as her complete subscr~ vince to Japan.
"Respect for the rights and in-forests of foreign Powers" henceforth implies "the shooting of Ar bassadors, the bombing of nour gunboats and the steelling of foreign property."
Asia's peace and) trangulllity," the "News-Chronicle" adds, will be the "abandonment of the whole sub-continent to the bloody tuggression of Japanese militarism."
"Telegraph" Comment 'Japan evidently feels," says a leader in the "Daily Telegraph" this morning, "that she can dispense with the formality of declaring war, and' dispose of the accredited Chi ese Government and its director by disregarding them."
'The new Chinese regime, lished and maintained by bay the newspaper proceeds. may have the characteristics agreeable to the Japanese taste, but it will hardly bbe genuine Chinese, 'TU will be an exotic in uncongenial all that may' bloom for a season, Dut It will strike no root the mew regime be anything more than'a satrap of Tokyo?" the journal asks.
Meanwhile, General Chiang Kal shek, and alt he stands or, will continue to exist, and it may well be that the growth of the new Chinese regime will be slower than 'How, the "Dally Telegraph" con-tunues,' ig the Intention to respect the territorial integrity and voverelimty of China to be reconciled with the armed occupation Chinese provinces and. the virtual Seposition of the accredited Chinese Government?
Tt will require very subtle diplomacy to explain, The newspaper concludes by des~ cribing the plan for sanctions of the International Labour movement 2 "mischievous intrusion,". which Gould only, embarrass diplomacy Without restraining ayression.
Meaningless""—""The Time "phe Times," in a leading article to-day, says that the declaration made at Tokyo yesterday is hardly Likely to spread "dismay in General Chiang" Kal-shek's headquarters Refusal of recognition Is meaning less, and the fundamentally realistic Chinese will take Tokyo's formal Gesture of repudiation coolly, and fay even find -eneouragement in Its implications.
Its practical significance, "The ies" declares, is confined to official termination of unoMelal peace negotiations which had Ready, broken down on Chint's flat rejection of Japan's exorbitant terms, Continuarice of those no got tions, for the present at any rate, would have no possible effect on anything except. the patience of the. Intermediaries.
Tokyo's. latest demarche, the journal proceeds, docs not effectually close channels for mediation, for it would be idle to suppose that "the Tormulities of non-recognition. would have any relevance to a situation which the Chinese showed readiness discuss peace. 'The declaration, however, make the possibility such a Situation arising even more remote' than it already was. Its apparent Intransigenee "can only. strengthen China's will to resist, and ite somewhat Tugubrious' undertones Fefleet the growing consciousness of the invaders of their dilemma, the implied acknowledgement of which cannot fall to hearten General Chiang Kai-shek and his followers.
open to doubt, "The Time: goes on, Whether the "rejuvenated China" to which Japan looks. forward is a vision more substantial oF loss tantalizing than the mirages of the several puppet regimes brought into existence, or, at any rate, into a state of suspended animation, in the past few months.-None of them, ity says, Is of an imposing or eve Drepossessing appearance "and none of them yet ripe for amalgamate with some central organ at Peipit or elsewhere, and many more will have to be created before the minimum ambitions of the, Fighting Services 1s realized.
Japan, "Phe Times" concludes, is slowly "discovering that it takes [more than ashes to make a phoenix.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.