Aim of Operations Along Canton-Hankow Railway Achieved; Defenders Said to Be Disorganized Canton, Jan, 5, 6G7PHE aim of recent Japanese operations northward of Canton—to destroy the organization and headquarters of Chinese forces under General Vu Han-mou—has been successfully concluded," declared Major Nishihara, former Japanese army spokesman in Shanghai, to Reuter toda:
He added that the Japanese army had no intention of occupy ing Shiukwan or any other towns in, Kwangtung at present.
Referring to the withdrawal of Japanese troops from Shumchun, Major Nishihara said it was a friendly gesture to Britain. There was now no cause for suspicion of Japanese aims on the British border, he commented.—Reuter.
Shanghai, Jan, 6.
Chinese claims of having " inflicted 'a "crushing defeat" upon. Japanese forees in northern Kwangtung province were categorically denied yesterday by a Japanese army spokes man.
Basing his denial on reports from Thursday night, the spokesman said that Chinese forces were completely. disorganized by a Japanese counter offensive launched on December 25) and brought to.an end on January 2 when Japanese troops hailed their advance to reorganize, having achieved_their original objective.
The army spokesman also con~ firmed "press reports that Gen. Vu Han-mou, acting commander-in-chief of Chinese forces in the Fourth War Zone, had fled towards Chihing.
Chinese forces encountered during operations at Omni were defeated without exception, Japanese forees inleting heavy losses on the Chinese troops, he said.
There were no organized Chinese forces south of the Yungyun highway, he said. The only remaining Chinese troops in that area con-ited solely of the defeated remnants, the spokesman declared basing his assertion on official field patches gent on the night of Jan, pacer ce? agent Chinese Defeat Imminent
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