"Fully Prepared"

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 171, 6 August 1937, Page 5

"Fully Prepared"

-Presa Assn.-

JAPANESE GARRISON Steady Advance of Chinese Into North TOKIO NEGOTIATING

1 By Telegraph-

-Copyright.)

(Beceived 6, 9.30 a.m.) TOKIO, Aug. 5. General Sugiyama, Minister of War, in speaking on the Estimates in the debate in the Diet, said it was doubtful whether the Japanese garrison would he ahle to maintain its present attitude in 'the face of the steady advance of Chinese troops to North China. The Japanese were fully prepared for punitive measures if the Chinese assuroed the ofiEensive. It was estimated that 2500 Chinese have been lcilled at Nanyuan and 150 at Tungchow, while the Japanese had disarmed 8200 Chinese in Peiyuan, Tungchow and west of Peiping. They had also captured four iield-guns, four Howitzers, 11 trench mortars, over 200 Czech machine-guns, 5000 rifles and quantities of revolvers and swords. A Peiping message states that the Japanese rounded up and annihilated 250 Chinese police who, it was alleged, partieipated ia the Tungchow massacre. Eevealing that Japan was negotiating with China simultaneously with military operations, Mr Kolri Hirota, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the House of Representatives, added that it was hoped to settle the troubles in North China and also to regulate the fundamental relations between China and Japan. China and Japan should co-oper-«te against Communism, wliich was responsible for the fanning of antiJapanese sentiments. Japan must deal sympathetically with whatever China wanted from Japan in order to break the dealock.