Tokyo, Aug. 21.
"The Nanking Government is now the hands of the war party, and consequently diplomatic negotiations with it is out of the "question," declared Mr. Sinrokuro Hidaka, Counseller of the Japanese Embassy in China, in an interview to-day following his return to Tokyo from the Chinese capital.
He discredited the rumour of mutiny in Nanking, and recalled that the leaders of the Chinese Govern-_ ment had said that they would burn the capital before the seat of Government was transferred from Nanking.
Mr. Hidaka observed that there had been Chinese moves to invite a third Party's Intervention with a view to, securing a favourable development of the situation, He alleged that it was China's plan "to massacre all the 30,000 Japanese residents in Shanghai, together with Japan's landing party, before the arrival of Japanese reinforcements."
Immediately after his arrival, Mr. Hidaka reported to. the Foreign Minister, Mr. Koki Hirota, on the China situation—Reuter.
Tokyo, Aug. 22.
Three Chinese divisions, the Fifty-ninth, Eighty-seventh and - Eighty-eighth, have borne. the brunt" of Aghting in the Shanghai area for the past 48 hours, according to press Messages received here to-day.
The Fifty-ninth division, the mess ages. said, has Ween. staging "con Unuous, altHough thus far unsuccessful, attacks upon the barracks the Japanese" Naval Landing Party, Kiangwan Road.
The Eighty-seventh and the Bighty-eighth divisions were, accord ing to the reports, attacking Japanese positions inthe eastern and the northern districts of the city respec tively.
'Japanese alr raids, the reports claimed, have "diminished Chinese Aghting' power, bringing their offensive to a standstill"Domel.
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