Says "Japan Times & Advertiser"
Journal Abandons Hope of Defeating China by Force And Advocates Reduction in Scale of Hostilities Tokyo, May 9.
The semi-official "Japan Times Advertiser" today in an editorial said that Japan could not conquer China by force and advocated a policy of reducing the scale of hostilities and promoting peace. The "Japan Times & Advertiser" is widely regarded as an organ of the Japanese Foreign Office.
Discussing Japan's China policy, the newspaper abandoned hope of overcoming China by force, The scale of hostilities should be reduced, the newspaper said, in order to promote peaceful conditions and to improve trade.
Japan's policy, said the "Times Advertiser." is twofold, namely, restoration of peace throughout China and development of China as a partner in the Asiatic ce-prosperity sphere, Asserting that peace in China necessarily must mean termination of hostilities, the newspaper said hostilities should cease, either by elimination of the cause of friction, or provision of conditions which would assure orderly living, The view that Japanese withdrawal would result in advance of Chungking forces was open to question, the newspaper said, Therefore, it seemed logically sound to believe that shrinkage of the fighting fronts would lead to less chance of hostilities.
The editorial said it was questionable, even from the standpoint of industry whether peace and order should be maintained over an extensive area in order to provide conditions for Japanese trade.
Asserting that Chinese cooperation would not be forthcoming unless there was a good reason, the newspaper said coercion would be useless, Nanking Government rule should prove beneficent and the Japanese army should prove that its presence was no encroachment on China's political and territorial integrity, the "Times & isser" said.—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.