Asked if there were any cases where responsibility had been accepted by the Japanese, with the exception of the Panay and other similar incidents, the spokesman replied that he could not recall any recent cases. There had been cases, he added, where foreign property bombings had been described deliberate while the pilots, taking part in the raids had denied this. These differences of opinion were settled through diplomatic conversations.
When he was asked if Japan, during such negotiations, took the attitude that the pilot was always right, the spokesman replied that whenever complaints had been received these always had been investigated and replies had been given to the Consuls concerned. It was very difficult, he seid, to distinguish foreign insignia from an operating altitude and when it came to vertical flying it was well nigh impossible. Maps supplied by the different foreign Consulates were reproduced and distributed to various operating airmen, who made full use of them before raids. i Maps Studied On these maps, he added, the posi tions of the various foreign properties were shown but not included in the maps were Chinese anti-aircraft batteries which had' been constructed close to these buildings. When these positions were being attacked it was likely that accidents would occur owing to their proximity.
"I have the impression," stated a pressman, "that in practice the Japanese will not accept responsibility for the bombing of foreign property." Adding that he had gathered this from past statements, he asked if the damages could be attributed to the nearness of Chinese batteries, as he had received the impression that sometimes these were as much as one or two miles away.
In reply the spokesman said that if they were so far away from foreign property then there could be no excuse but he did not think that that they were that distance away. He added that the Japanese planes did not break formation when going over Chungking and was asked how that statement tallied with a: report that one squadron had veered off to attack a Chinese battery.
Replying, the spokesman said that each squadron kept its own formation and it was a general practice not to break that formation. The Japanese aeroplanes had not as a body attacked the one area where foreign property in Chungking was hit. He then quoted an extract from a Japanese translation on International Law by which he said Chungking could not be Considered as immune from air raids.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.