Tokyo, Jan. 17.
The virtual severance of diploma-tie relations with the National Government of China did not necessarily entail a declaration of war, said the spokesman of the Foreign Office in reply to questions at to-day's press conference, To illustrate this point, he recalled the rupture of relations between Great Britain and the Soviet in 1927.
Japan's peace terms, the spokesman added, had not been stated in detail, but they were "clearly stated in principle." General Chiang Kaishek had not explicitly rejected them. but his attitude was tantamount to refusal.
Negotiations had now been dropped, but might be reopened if the National Government showed sincerity, The spokesman said he thought there was no necessity to communicate Japan conditions to third Powers. Japan's statement, he added, did not mean that Japan recognised the Chinese regime at Peiping—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.