Meanwhile, he said, the troops are Preparing for future operations, maintaining order in the area under Japanese occupation, and striving to rehabilitate the war-torn districts, "In dealing with third powers, Gen. Hata declared, "we shall follow the honorable path of justice, in accordance with the Government's foreign policy.
Friction with third powers, he added, will arise only should they attempt to interfere with the Army operations.
Gen. iota said he would exercise caution in dealing with the problem of the International Settlement, in view of the complex inter-relationships of foreign interests within it.
"The China incident," he went on, "has reached its second stage. Therefore, the Japanese forces must make full preparations for the coming protracted hostilities."
With the return of Gen. Iwane Matsui, his predecessor, to Tokyo, it has been assumed by many, Gen. Hata said, that Japan "may take a negative attitude to the China incident,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.