Tokyo, Dec. 22.
American-Japanese conferences may be continued during Christmas week, possibly as early as. Wednesday, a Foreign Office spokesman declared today. "We are expecting a reply to our announcement of the reopening of the Yangtze any time now—today, Christmas Eve or Christmas week," he told newspapermen.
While declaring that Mr. Kensuke Horinouchi, Japanese Ambassador to Washington, had not indicated that the fourth talk between Mr. Joseph Clark Crew, American Ambessador, and Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura, Foreign Minister, would be held in Tokyo shortly, the Foreign Office "had good reason to expect some expression of America's attitude in response to Japan's gesture," he said.
In wishing the foreign correspondents a "Merry Christmas" at the close of the press conference, he added that he hoped that as a Christmas present he would be able to release to them the news that the next conference would be held on Wednesday. Several American correspondents in responding expressed hope that arrangements would be made to hold the meeting on that date.
Before leaving the subject, however, the spokesman, commenting on press messages sent to the United States by correspondents, particularly American correspondents in Shanghai, expressed regret that doubt had been cast on the practical effect which would result from the reopening of the Yangtze.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.