OREIGN Minister, Mr, Koki Hirota, to-day Tokyo, Jani. 18. ordered Mr. Shigeru Kawagoe, Ambassador to China, to return to Japan.
The envoy's recall was the direct result of the Government's decision, announced on Sunday, to cease relations with the former Nanking administration.
Mr. Kawagoe is expected to leave Shanghai for home within the next few days.
Mr, Hsu Shih-ying, the Chinese Ambassador here, will according to - informed quarters, leave Japan for Hongkong on January 20 in the s, Empress of Asia, after issuing a statement at noon to-morrow.
Members of the Cabinet to-day exchanged views on the date on which recognition will be extended to the "Provisional Government of the Republic of China" in Peiping.
While the Cabine?'s decision was not made public, the "Yomiuri" a lending daily, reported the Ministers agreed that the Peiping regime would be recognized when it "becomes strong and stable in form and sub-
Explaining last Sunday's statement, Mr, Akira Katami, Secretary-General of the Cabinet, said to-night that there could be ho declaration of war on China since. that would imply relationship: between the Jupanese and Nationalist Governments, "Having stated that the Kuomintang administration doesn't represent China, the Japanese Government can~ not deal with it by declaring war on it" he pointed out.
'A Sacred War Japan, Mr. Kazami ded now decided "to wage a eradicate the Nationalist Government, so as to establish lasting peace the East."
Japan's declaration that slue wilt not deal with the Nationalist Government, Mr. Kazami said, "embodies deeper meaning than a mere repudiation of the regime Tt should not be assumed, he emphasized, that the severance' of ions with the former Nanking Government is the result of a decision to recognize a new regime in China.
The Government's decision to repudiate the Nationalist administra Mon, he said, was "purposeful."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.