'The Japanese community will be assured of general sympathy in the' tragedy which, it now turns out, has all too correctly been reported from Chengtu. Journalists in Shanghai will desire to be specially associated in the regret which is being expressed at the deaths of Mr, Keiji Fukagawa and Mr. Kozaburo Watanabe. Mr.. Fukagawa, os reporter of the "Shanghai Mainichi," was particularly well-known to members of the profession. A man of kindly disposition and calm judgment, he was much Fespected and esteemed. He was well qualified to serve his newspaper here by reason of his natural gift for establishing friendly relations All nationalities, It seems altogether anomalous that' he should have been made the victim of a senseless outbreak of passion, for his good nature and quiet humour ought to have protected him against personal enmity of any kind, The Chinese authorities have acted swiftly in signalizing their displeasure at the occurrence. It Is suggested that agitation over the proposal to reopen the Japanese consulate at Chengtu was responsible for the turbulence which directly caused the murders. There can be no excuse for thus inflaming public opinion over a matter which was being appropriately handled in diplomatic discussion. "Chengtu is not a treaty port but it has had British, French and German consular representatives so far back as 1912, the view being taken that os the headquarters of a provincial administration it was convenient to have foreign consuls avail-fable on the spot although the arrangement was facilitated by a diplomatic fiction which treated the consuls in question as if they were resident ut Chungking. The Japanese Government, so far az can be judged, followed the example of the other Powers and appointed their consul somewhere about 1910. It was not until 1932, when anti-Japanese feeling, made the precaution necessary, that he was temporarily withdrawn, to be hoped that, in view of the circumstances, a friendly solution of the diiculty will not be long delayed,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.