Evening star., 1937-07-15
JAPAN AND CHINA
RUSH NEW TROOPS
TO FIGHTING ZONE.
Effort to Seize Peiping at
Once Rumored During
Concentration,
PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
REPORTS CONTRADICTED
Marking Orders Reinforcements
to Northern Area as Toxic Hears
"Crisis Has Exploded.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Under the terms of the 1901
Borer protocols Japan maintains q
garrison in China to keep open a
road from Peiping to the sea. As
Japan has increased power in North
China tension between countries
has increased. On July 2 night
maneuuering japanese troops
clashed NTH Chinese bridge guards
10 miles mest OF Peiping, in Hopei
Province.
B, the Associated Press.
Armies of China and Japan were
poised today for action in North China
If the crisis there developed into wide
spread conflict.
There had been no serious fighting
in the area surrounding Peiping for
4s hours, but:
The Chinese governments foreign
office spokesman in Marking said the
government had ordered reinforce
ments to North China to support the
avn AhiyS VAAlNll 1ldS DCC1 llRItIlk
Japanese troops for the last week.
The spokesman said six divisions
(about 10000 mem were standing BY
somewhere in North China"
The Japanese war Office announced
in Toxic that troops will be dispatched
from Japan proper to North China
to aid Japanese troops regularly gar
risoned there and units of the Japan
eSe Army in Manchuria rushed to
the battle area last week.
At Peiping foreign military attaches
heard that Japan is concentrating a
force of more than 5000 men at
Fengtai, which they believed would
be used for an attempt to occupy
Peiping within two days.
$500 Are on March.
The attaches said $500 Japanese
troops, with full war equipment, were
Oh the march. presumably from the
TientSin area, to reinforce 5000 men
already constituting the Japanese gar
rison at Fengtai, important railway
junction, S miles southwest of Peiping.
Foreign and Chinese military men
believed Japan now has the equiva-
lent OF full division At war strength,
about 10000 men. in Northern Hopei,
south of the Great Wall.
Foreign attaches expected the Jap
anese to attempt to drive out the
Chinese 29th Army. take over full
control Of Peiping, Tientsin and the
connecting railway.
Chinese quoted reports. but could
not confirm them. that Japanese mil
itarists were pressing local authorities
to accept peace terms, point OF
which was said to be boycotting OF
present elections in North China to
name delegates to the National Peo-
pies Assembly.
Such boycott would be regarded
as virtual declaration OF independence
from China proper.
First reports that agreement to end
the crisis had been reached at TEN
tsin were contradicted by later reports
that negotiations were continuing.
The Nanking government has Wig
orously asserted that it will recognize
no local agreement, contending that
the issues are national and must be
settled through the diplomatic repre-
sentatives of the two countries.
THE crisis has exploded in North
China" Gen. 1kutaro Inoue, president
of the Army and Navy Reservist AS
sociation, said. Future developments
are unpredictable, but we must be
prepared for the worst in order to
preserve The empire"
China's goal is peace. said .
Marking government spokesman. but
military preparations have been made
"as caution and self-preservation die
tated."
A pertinent point, however, was
that China's premier, Generalissimo
Chang Kai-shek, remained at his
Summer headquarters at Kuling and
appeared not yet to regard the sit
uation critical enough to warrant his
return to Marking
He has the military situation at
his fingertips," Marking spokesman
said.