Japanese troops pushing westward along the southern bank of the Yangtze River yesterday were within four kilometres of Tienkiachen, d by the Chinese as the "key to Hankow." According to an offeiàl Japanese communique, Fuchikou, four kilọ- metres south of the strategic position commanding the central partof the Yangtze "bottle neck," was occupied by Japanese forces at noon on Satutday, The seizure of the town was the outcome of several days of sanguine ary fighting in an almost ceaseless rain among the hills that form a natural border between Kiangsi and Hupeh provinces. Japanese officers and men, drenched to the skin, marched into the captured town.
Verious reports from the fronts yesterday claimed that, Japaneedi operations in a semi-circular advance toward Hankow were making steady progress, Strong Chinese positions west of Juichang in northern Kiangsi have fallen into Japanese hands one. after another and occupation of Yangsin was expected at any time, the dispatches said.
On the front north of the Yangtze, Japanese forces driving westward from Shangeheng and Kwangchow were forcing the Chinese troops back toward Sintang, while along the Yellow River the western section of the Lunghai Railway was being subject ed to increased pressure daily, the reports stated. A message from Shihchiachwang last night claimed that Japanese detachments which launched a drive from the Yuncheng area in southwestern Shansi inflicted "annihilating" losses on Chinese troops which had been strongly en= trenched in the vicinity of Hengling kwan, The Chinese troops were part of the units which had resisted the Japanese near Yuanku, where it was expected that a crossing of the river would be effected at any time,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.