"ALARMING VIEWS"

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 February 1941, Page 5

"ALARMING VIEWS"

DEPRECATED BY JAPANESE SPOKESMAN Tension in East Asia Denied BUT MISGIVINGS OVER BRITISH AND AMERICAN PREPARATIONS TO MEET SUPPOSED CONTINGENCIES IN PACIFIC (By Telegraph. —Press Association.—Copyright.) TOK 10. February 18. 'rhe spokesman of the Cabinet Information Bureau. .Nir Ishii, said: “Japan is prepared to mediate anywhere throughout the world in order to help restore normal conditions.” He added that these mediation proposals were prompted by the “alarming reports" from various sections of the world regarding possibilities in the near future. “ Various alarming reports have reached Japan purporting to give an impression that the situation in East Asia has become radically tense.” he said. "We arc surprised to learn that some foreign countries have felt undue anxiety regarding the alleged tension in East Asia, and we want to emphasise that as far as we van see there is no ground for entertaining alarming views. “We want to repeat that the purpose of the Three-Power

Paet is peaceful. We cannot help feeling, therefore, a certain amount of anxiety, if not misgivings, over the warlike preparations by the British and American Governments to meet supposed contingencies in the Pacific and South Seas.”

SUGGESTED MITIGATION "Press reports about these movements by Britain and American originating from British and American sources and elsewhere are causing increasing misgivings and are resulting in the contention, advanced in some quarters in Japan that Japan should losn no time in taking the necessary steps to meet the worst eventuality in these regions," Mr. Ishii said. "If the American Government could only be persuaded to restrict its activities in the western hemisphere and avoid causing unnecessary anxiety in the minds of the Japanese people, the situation would indeed be greatly mitigated. "We are utterly unable to see that any good purpose can be served by prolonging the war, whatever the motive may be. The present situation demands statesmanship of a high order. Such statesmanship, we trust, will not be wanting in the British Empire or elsewhere.

I "We want to make it clear that Japan is fully prepared to act as mediator or take whatever action is calculated to recover normal conditions not onlv in greater East Asia but anywhere in the world. The leading Powers have a great responsibility in restoring world peace and civilisation and such responsibility can only be fulfilled by wise and generous statesmanship willing to listen to the claims and contentions of others. - ’ AN ALLEGED ISOGEV The “Nichi Nichi Shimbun," asserting that Britain and the United States i were needlessly scared over the self--1 created Far Eastern •'bogey." said that I Japan’s true intentions are to help in I the construction of a new world order .in the interests of the firm establish- . merit of world peace, for which reason ■ "Japan desires that the various world | Powers concerned will meet at a conI fercnce table to deliberate and iron out j the outstanding issues with reason. cool judgment and wisdom.” However. I the paper said. British and American I warlike preparations and other man- ! oeuvres would not affect Japan’s poli>cies revolving on the Tripartite Pact > and the new order in East Asia. i The "Ashahi Shimbun” gives prom- ■ inence to a Tientsin dispatch that the ; American garrisons in North Chinn j have decided to withdraw, in which ‘ connection the first contingents, inj eluding 31 marines from Tientsin, and i 27 marines from Peking, entrained yesterday for Chinwnngtao, where they are to board an American steamer for ! Manila. On account of last year’s i complete withdrawal by the British garrisons, the resident British and American are extremely shocked, the newspaper says. RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA The question of Japan’s with Russia was raised in the Diet when one member urged Mr. Matstiokn to make a demarche to the Soviet Government about the activities of the Comintern In reply, Mr Matsuoka pointed out that the Comintern was not identical with the Soviet Government. but he promised to take steps if the Comintern caused trouble. The new Japanese Ambassador to Germany. General Oshima, arrived in Berlin yesterday to take up his duties. According to the official German news agency the Ambassador's staff was so large that the Soviet railway had to put a special coach al his disposal when he travelled through Soviet Russia.