Believes Ca-operation Between China and Japan is'
"Not Impossible" Against Communism Tokyo, Aug. 5.
EVIVING one of the three principles of his famous "Three-Point Programme", the Foreign Minister, Mr. Koki Hirota, to-day told the Diet that "the major point of our proposals to China consists of ce-operation in joint defence against Communism". At Least in this respect, he added, ce-operation between the two nations is "not impossible."
The other two points of Mr.
Hirota's programme, formulated in the Autumn of 1935 in, collaboration with the Army, were suppression of the anti-Japanese movement in China and joint economic development of North China by China, Japan and Manchoukuo.
"T do not believe", the Foreign Minister told the Diet, "that the present Sino-Japanese impasse can be broken by armed force alone."
Side by side with military opera~ 20th, 10th and 130th Divisions and tions in North China, the J parts of the 10th Infantry and the Government Is conducting dipl (Oth Cavalry Divisions, numbering. negotiations with Nanking to all "35,000. men, the latter's reconsideration of North Honan—30,000 men stand, he added.
Chengchow and the neighbouring "The Japanese "Government, Mr. areas. These troops comprise Ge Hirota declared, wants to settle the eral Sun Lien-chung's 30th, Division; North China incident on the spot, General Chi Feng-chen's 3ist Divi-and "at the same time, effect sion; General Pang Ping-hsun's 39th fundamental readjustment—of Division and the Independent 44h whole range of Sino-Japanese Brigade, 207,000 Strong ""Anti-Japanese sentiment in Chini With about 77,000 additional troops the Forelan Minister said, "is deeply scattered throughout the area, the rooted. and, therefore, It) should be Gimeuit to eradicate it, "But T Neve that Sino-Japanese ce-operation Tokyo Discusses possible If the radical elements, and especially the Communists, are Yangtze effectively controlled."
Tokyo, Aug. 7.
Chinese Troop Movements Mr. Koki Hirota, Foreign Min-~Continued converging of the Censter, this evening conferred for Government's troops upon the!
30. minutes with Gen. Gen Peiping-Tientsin_ area reported Sugiyama, Minister of War, re-to-day to the War Ofice. Chinese ding conditions along" the troops, the reports said, were advanc-Yangtze, Ing along the Tientsin-Pukow, Peiping-Mr. Kensuke Horinouchi, Vice Hankow. and Peiping-Suiyuan Rail Minister for Foreign Affairs, and ways, Mr. Taro Ishii, director of the The Japanese air force in North East_Aviatle Atairs Bureau of China, the reports said, has. bombed the Foreign OMice, also attended several Chinese trains the moating.-Dome Charhar and near Paotingfu in the past. two day Commenting on the disposition of first defence line strength was placed the Chinese troops, military observers by the reports at 207,000 trong. here declared General Chiang Kal 'Reinforcements were also said to ick is apparently striving 0 keep be moving north by the Peiping-the Central Government's infantry JHankow and the 'Tientsin-Pukow and sir force Intact. oilways, 'The troops placed in the frst tine'
Feverish expansion of aerodromes defence, said, are those! fu Hsinan, Shantung, Shunteh, Cho commanded by provincial war-lords or Communist forces brought chow and, Chensting,. Hopel' were Also. reported to be in progress—from the north-west, General Chiang's "own" troops, it Army Prepared was pointed out, are held in the sec-and line of defence, where they will Tokyo, Aug. 5. In the course of a debate on the hot be directly involved in major hostilities should such break out. second supplementary budget in con-rection with North China, the afin 40,000 ten Iter of War, General Sugiyama, told the Budget Commitiee of the House The troops massed along the! of Representatives to-day that it was Tientsin-Pukow "Railway were re-problematical whether the Japanese ported to number between 40,000 and {troops in North China would be able {50,000 men, commanded by Lieutenant to continue their present attitude in Generals Chen Tieh and Hu Tsung-the' Chinese Central Government nan.
Troops of General Han Fu-chu, The Japanese troops, said the Min-Chairman of the Shantung Provi dal Government, other reports said, ister of War, were fully prepared to fare being gradually withdrawn from uke "punitive measures" against the the Tsinpu line to the Kiaotsi Rail-Central troops should they take the
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.