Evening star., 1933-04-11
Japan Invades "China Proper"

Throughout the past year and a half
OF her military activities in Manchuria,
and latterly in the Province of Jehol,
Japan has consistently argued that she
was not operating in or against China
Proper" The Toxic contention is that
Manchukuo and Jehol never really were
parts OF China and that therefore there
has been no invasion either of that
unhappy country's rights or of her
territory. On the same theory, Japa-
nese negotiations are now in progress
to persuade ten Mongolian tribes to
secede from China and join Charhar
Province to Jehol.
1t will not be so easy to maintain
the China Proper" politico- geographical
fiction after the military movements
just launched by the japanese army at
the Great Wall. Yesterday it opened
a sudden offensive against the Chinese
forces along twenty-five miles of the
ancient battlement that separates China
into North and South-the Mason and
Dixon'S line of the Orient-for the
purpose Of establishing q neutral
zone" beyond the Great Wall. The
japanese desire to make the zone wide
enough to protect the southern border
of Manchukuo. Once the proposed
neutral" area Is created, 1t can, Of
course, only be maintained by Japanese
occupation.
If that comes to pass, it will mark
the scrapphg OF one more Of the
solemn pledges which Toxic has given
to the world since the Mukden curtain
raiser Of September 1s, 1881, inaugu-
rated the Manchurian tragedy. Time
and again assurances have emanated
from Japan-some of them are on file
in our own State Department-that
under no circumstances" would Japa-
nese forces seek to penetrate beyond
the Great Wall into "China Proper"
It is true that these affirmations have
sometimes had a string tied to them,
such as the proviso that the imperial
troops would push on into "China
Proper" only If China's own actions
forced SO regrettable an operation. For
example, the Toxic war department
declares that chow far" the new move
ment twelve miles south of Shanhai-
kwan will develop depends entirely on
the Chinese"
But the world today will, 1t is to be
feared. be little inclined to read into
the news about Japan's neutral zone"
south Of the Wall another of those pre-
texts Of which the alibi-rich Toxic mill
tarists seem to have an inexhaustible
supply. The suspicion is bound to arise
that the process Of nibbling China to
pieces, crumb by crumb, is in relentless
and irresistible progress.
Dispatches relate that Viscount Ishii,
well known and highly respected in
Washington, is coming here to repre-
sent Japan at the pre-Economic Con-
ference conversations to be held by
President Roosevelt with foreign govern
ments. 1t is stated that the seasoned
Far Eastern statesman will be author
lied and prepared to discuss the whole
range of international questions in
which the United States and Japan
have mutual interest. Viscount Ishii
is not unaware that President Roose-
welt is on recent record as holding the
sanctity Of international treaties to be
the corner stone" of good relations
among the nations The American Gov
ernment will hardly fail to find occasion
to tell Viscount Ishii that the buffeting
to which Japan has subjected the nine
power treaty and the Kellogg pact
comes conspicuously within the orbit of
the Japanese-American questions in
which the United States has the liveliest
interest.