Evening star., 1932-02-04
jAPAN'S INVASION
A MOOT QUESTION
Some Observers Hold She Is
Violating LaW-0thers
Uphold Action.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Some Of the observers Of the Far East
panorama contend that Emperor Hiro-
hito's blue e-garbed japanese sailors are
transgressing the soil Of sovereign ma
ton at Shanghai by occupying the
greatest seaport in the Orient IN vio-
lation of the tenets Of international
law.
Others say the japanese forces OF oc-
cupation are only shielding the lives
and investments of japanese citizens In
land without stable government and
thereby are acting In accordance with
the principles Of long recognized
treaties.
The facts are that Japan has more
than 10000 nationals living, doing busi-
ness and paying taxes In Greater
Shanghai and has more than a billion
dollars invested in all China-more
people and more money than any other
foreign nation.
These Japanese have often been the
victims of laWless Chinese. A few have
been killed, property has sometimes
been destroyed, commercial dealings
have been sorely hampered by the boy
colt and life in general often has been
made unpleasant for them because Of
Chinese agitation.
long as the Chinese government does
not rectify it, Japan insists, she must
move by force of arms to preserve her
national honor, which is the reason she
has given for landing blue jackets in the
Chinese sections of Shanghai.
In this she goes back to precedent.
The great powers rushed troops to Pei
ping during the Boxer rebellion in 1900.
They did the same thing at the time of
the Marking incident in 1927. More
over, she has pointed out that even in
the western hemisphere United States
Marines have long occupied Haiti and
Nicaragua for much the same reasons
Even in encroaching on the foreign
controlled International Settlement
Japan has a case in the opinion of some
authorities. This alien colony on
China's seaboard Is governed under
treaty to which Japan is a signatory
and is protected by defense corps OF
which her forces are part.
If the municipal council, deriving its
authority from this treaty, is not able
to curb irresponsible Chinese in their
activities against japanese living IN the
settlement-and in this instance Japan
holds 1t Is not-then Japan claims to
be within her rights In supplying rein
forcements.
To all this, of course China bases her
defense on extra-territoriality. The
treaties embracing these eXtra-terri-
torial privileges we're signed by old
Manchu emperors or wrung from the
Chinese Republic at the point Of the
sword, say the Chinese, and they have
no validity in generation marked by
higher ideals.
Consular and municipal authorities
at Shanghai are between two fires. On
the one hand they protest that add
tional Japanese forces, however legal
their presence may be, are not needed
to maintain order and must not COM
nit wanton acts within the settlement.
On the other hand they realize that
situation might arise-has arisen in the
past-where further protection would
be imperative and japanese REINFORCE
ments would save the day.
However, the pros and cons, the Japa-
nese naval commanders now are re-
ported to be at delicate impasse. The
most reliable sources indicate they In
tended only to administer sound
lesson to China, but they have en-
countered unexpected resistance and
are in danger of losing major en-
gagement to the Chinese for the first
time In history.
If they drive forward on their course
they will risk the wrath of the Western
nations II they retreat they will face
the anger of their own people and the
jeers of the Chinese. If they adopt
middle road they will lose face" ir
their own estimation-than which there
is nothing worse to the mind OF the
Oriental.