Sensible Japanese who are asked to take note of "anti-Japanese" feeling in China will assuredly profit by studying a letter from a correspondent writing on what she knows. Admiral Hasegawa, a few weeks ago, accurately sensed the harm done to Japanese reputations in Shanghai by too obtrusive flourishes of the panoply of war and gave certain mitigating orders which were much appreciated. He could not, apparent~ ly, discourage the "night manœuvre" habit. It will be observed that one of the suggestions put forward for reducing the tension in the North is for the limitation, if not the abolition, of night manœuvres, The letter from Yangtzepoo confirms the wisdom of the proposal. No-one would ask commanders to forego essential training of their men. Nor is it unreasonable to argue that night operations normally are part of such training, It is incumbent, however, to consider the convenience of the public in the practice of military movements which cannot be arranged This considera-demanded of a garrison in a foreign, friendly and independent country. Obviously other foreign forces in Shanghai keep it constantly in mind. The question which Japanese may well ask themselves is whether the feelings which these night manœuvres arouse in the mind of a foreign lady resident in Hongkew "are not likely to be all the more present in Chinese minds. Japanese messages to Tokyo and from Tokyo make frequent reference to "anti-Japanese" activities here. To the ordinary observer those activities are not particularly blatant. Certainly non-Japanese foreign opinion is not inclined to be as ready to accept assertions that they exist as it was in 1931. In fact the prevailing view is that the most fruitful incitement to anti-Japanese sentiment comes from the very actions which receive notice in the letter published to-day. From the general trend of comment from the North the same conditions, if anything in accentrated form, obtain there.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.