The Japanese forces posted along the borders of the foreign-controlled áreas, the spokesman declared, were forbidden "in principle" to cross into areas not within their control.
"But we feel that inasmüch as the border only consists of án imaginary line, it would be impráctical in a place like Shanghai to regard the boundary as sacred as a fron! between nations," he remarked.
"As a matter of practice, it id give rise to ah intolerable posit if the men had to stand on the border line and call out for each other every time they wished to communicate," he pointed out, "I am also unaware that there was such a hide-bound rule regarding [the boundary when the Chinese were in occupation of Nantao,"
The Japanese authorities also reserved the right to exercise in self-defence the prerogative of hot pursuit against attackers who should seek asylum in foreign-controlled aroast
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.