Evening star., 1932-02-24
JAPANESE URGE
POWERS TO ACT
Declare Time Has Come to
End Hands of" Policy in
Regard to China.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
TOXIC, February 24-Japan believes
that the powers should agree to "a
more realistic application" of the inter-
national treaties regarding China, a
foreign Office spokesman said today.
commenting on the japanese reply to
the latest note of the League of Nations
Council on the Sino-Japanese dispute.
The spokesman denied. however that
Japan planned to propose revision or
abrogation of the treaties applying to
China, but he said the Toxic govern
n1ent was convinced some form of inter-
national intervention is necessary Ito
save China" This he said, was the
natural implication OF Japan's state
ment on its inability to consider China
an organized people"
Want Positive Action.
Up to now, he added, the powers have
merely agreed to keep hands off China
and to 'let China stew in her own
juice"
I'VE believe" he said, 'that it is time
SOlllGJ11lIS POS1IAfC "S4C OOAlCs oAollOhSAA
we have no concrete suggestions now
except that for demilitarized zones" re-
garding which the foreign Office issued a
feeler a fortnight ago.
japanese newspapers today made
much of reports from Shanghai telling
of three Japanese soldiers who volun-
tarily sacrificed their lives to place a
heavy explosive charge in a Chinese
barbed wire ENHANCEMENT to blow a
gap in the barrier through which the
japanese forces might penetrate.
See Danger of War
editorial that persons abroad, especially
Americans. who have talked of an eco
nomic blockade against Japan were
greatly mistaken if they believed eco
ronlic action would end matters there
AN economic rupture would surely
lead to war" the editorial said THE
advocates of such hostile measures are
actually forgetting the Kellogg pact and
inviting the dangers of war"
Military Plans Hidden
For the second time this month Off
cial secrecy has closed over important
military developments in Japan and
an active censorship has kept out of
the newspapers information concerning
preparations for increasing the expe-
dictionary force to Shanghai.
This was by order of the cabinet. the
ministry apparently believing that con-
troll of the news might disguise the Sc
riouS view which the government takes
of the situation in Shanghai.
A few early editions of yesterdays
evening newspapers managed to print
a brief report of the cabinets decision
to send more men to China, but that
was the only information most of the
people have had
Official supervision of dispatches by
foreign correspondents has taken some
odd forms. For example. keen-eyed
supervisor deleted part of an interview
given to the Associated Press by Sadao
Araki, the minister of war and one of
the strongest and most responsible
members of the cabinet.
War Council Meets.
Among the developments which the
local papers we're permitted to publish
was a meeting of the Supreme War
Council, to which the high military
officials reported on the Shanghai cam
paign.
Imminent changes In the scope OF
the military activities there have re-
vived discussion of candidates for COM
mander in chief of the reinforced army
and Gen. Yoshinori Shirakawa, former
minister of war, is frequently men
toned.
The great majority of the Japanese
people continue to support the gov
ernment's military decisions and to ap-
prove the operations in Manchuria and
at Shanghai, for there is a growing
realization of the risks involved in the
Chinese campaign and it has produced
a determination to see things through
japanese patriotism is a strong force,
but nevertheless the people are watch
ing anxiously the reaction abroad, es-
pecially as it concerns a possible eco
nomic blockade by foreign powers.
Judgment Held Harsh.
The reaction of the majority seems
to be that the Western powers, unable
to understand all that led up to the
ly and unjustly.
Scant intimations reaching here of
widespread censure of the Japanese
course produces bewilderment in the
public mind, and American correspond
ents are asked many times about the
chances of the United States and Great
Britain joining an economic blockade.
When this issue Is discussed in care
full newspaper editorials and in guarded
private conversations with leading citi-
zens, it is almost unanimously empha-
sized that Japan would consider a
blockade an act of war, to be opposed
by acts of war.