Tokyo, Feb, 27.
The majority of the leading yernacular paper here urge an early conclusion of the peace agreement between Thailand and French Indo-China in connection with the reported final mediation plan offered by the Japanese government recently.
The Tokyo "Nichi Nichi Shimbun" urges the two countries to accept the Japanese offer as soon as possible, as a prolongation of the armistice period, which has already been extended twice, will give an opportunity for Anglo-American manœuvres.
The daily says: "It is hard to understand why the French authorities have been taking measures rather unfriendly towards Japan while continuing the peace negotiations with Thailand under Japanese mediation," and warned, "Watch constantly against Anglo-American man-œuvres in order to maintain French Indo-China's position in the sphere of common prosperity in East Asia."
The paper points out that repens of the arrival of 20,000 Australian troops at Singapore and the shipment of bombers from America to Singapore can never restrain Japan, end that it is, from the broader viewpoint of establishing a lasting peace in East Asia that Japan has been desirous of settling the border dispute between Thailand and Indo-China, Concluding, the daily says: "The reason the recent Japanese offer was reported to be a final one was because the Japanese government is confident that it will be accepted by the two countries, and such confidence is backed by firm determination."
Thailand as well as Indo-China are urged to trust Japan fully, and conclude an agreement as soon as possible.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.