Evening star., 1932-03-02
Shanghai and Manchuria.

An additional japanese division has
been landed on the shore OF the Yangtze
River some miles above the Woosung
forts and has begun a turning move
ment against the Chinese forces. which
are in retirement. The Japanese have
released Ken Wang. young Chinese
general who graduated from West Point
and who was arrested as spy the
other day in the lobby Of hotel in
Shanghai. This action was taken, it
is explained, because there is no war" "
Thus do the contradictions in the Far
Eastern situation continue. Ken Wang
is not held as prisoner Of war, for
this is not a war; and yet some thou
sands Of troops are pressing back the
Chinese army, with ileavy guns and
machine guns and bombs. The i'm
portant fact is that the Chinese are
going back and are now nearing the
twenty-kilometsr point indicated by the
japanese as the place to which they
must go before truce can be declared,
preceding negotiations for peace. Mean
while the japanese privy council refuses
to sanction bond issue of twenty two
million yen for military expenses by i'm
perial decree, \inaSmuch as the Diet
could be summoned in session to act
upon the proposed issue, but the cabi-
net declines to summon the Diet in ses-
sion on the ground of lack of time.
Al other complex, understandable only
on the hypothesis that there is no war
Up in Manchuria developments are
not entirely satisfactory to the Japa-
nese, who are finding 1t difficult to es-
tablish order while bands of fighting
men continue their raids and Russian
forces are assembling in Soviet territory
The possibility Of Russian attack is an
ever-present menace. Moscow advices
in respect to the attitude of Russia to-
ward Japan are confusing. An arrange
ment with the Russian controllers Of
the Chinese Eastern Railway for the
use of trains for the transport of Jap
anese troops does not cover any military
movements toward the Russian boun-
dairy lines. Formal establishment of the
new Manehurian government is pro-
claimed and arrangements have been
made for the installation of Henry Pu
vi, the former hoy Emperor" Of China
as the head of the government at Muk-
den some time between the fifth and
tenth Of this month. No further de-
velopments appear with regard to the
proposed Chinese military movement
under Chang Kai Shek to wrest Man
churia from the japanese control, but
it is estimated that there are now be-
tween fifty and one hundred thousand
Chinese troops scattered about in Man
churia, possibly awaiting leadership In
a campa gn.
This is perplaXing situation. Japan
may within few weeks, If 1t does not
let go at Shanghai and withdraw Its
large and now increasing forces there,
be faced with a fight on two widely
separated fronts. II there Is an in
creased pressure in the north several
hundred thousand troops will be needed
there. Little reliance can be placed
upon those Chinese forces that have
joined the Manchurian organization. 1t
may therefore become necessary to
choose, and perhaps quickly, between
the shadow OF a technical diplomatic
victory at Shanghai and the substance
OF the accomplished seizure of Man
churia. In the circumstances it would
seem that Japan's chief desire should
be for the cessation of the state Of
war" that Is not war" III the south