Tokyo, Apr. 8.
Mr. Y. Suma, spokesman for the Japanese Foreign Office, today denied a press report that Lord Halifax, British Foreign Secretary, had suggested to Mr. Mamoru Shigemitsu, Japanese Ambassador in London, that Japan should voluntarily suspend her trade with Germany.
In consideration of that action, Lord Halifax was alleged to have told Mr. Shigemitsu, Britain was prepared to allow Japan special privileges in the exportation of raw materials from India and Australia to Japan.
Mr. Suma said that while Mr. Shigemitsu had discussed various questions with Lord Halifax on April 3, the British Foreign Secretary had not made such a proposal nor had such a suggestion been conveyed to ihe Japanese Government by the British Embassy in Tokyo.
Japan, the spokesman continued, depended heavily upon trade, not only with Germany but with other Powers. Wartime restrictions on trade, he continued, were inconveniencing Japan seriously because of their infringement on neutral rights.
This accounted for the Japanese support given Italy when Italian ships carrying German coal were detained at the Downs control station some time ago, he said—Domei Japanese-Soviet Trade Agreements Tokyo, Apr. 8, Soviet-japanese commercial negotiations are "neither deadlocked, mor have they broken down," ' Mr, Yakichiro Suma, spokesman for the Japanese Foreign Office declared today.
He remarked significantly, however, that the Moscow conversations had reached an advanced stage, which claims the consideration of a more important thing though it has not a political nature." The last meeting between the two delegations had been held on March 18, and the talks would be "further continued," Mr. Suma said, "Mr. Shikao Matsushima, former director of the Bureau of Commerce of the Foreign Office, who stopped in Moscow to assist Mr, Shigenori Togo, Japanese Ambassador, in the commercial negotiations, would soon proceed to his post at Stockholm in view of the importance assumed by Sweden in the present European situation, My. Suma said—Domei,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.