THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 17, 1941.
JAPANESE OPTIMISTIC REGARDING CHINA HOSTILITIES
(By Percy Whiteing)
MILITARY, economic and other aspects of the Japan-China conflict at its present stage, from the Japanese point of view, are described in an article by the Army Information Bureau of the Imperial Headquarters, published in the “Shuho," a periodi- cal issued by the Government's Board of Informa- tion. The director of the Army Information Bureau is Colonel Hayao Mabuchi, who was stationed in Shanghai for several years.
After briefly reviewing the progress of the con- flict, the survey finds that Japan's military opera- tions and economic and military blockade are hav- ing effects from which Chungking is suffering severely, but that it is necessary for Japan to in- crease her propaganda efforts so as to gain the mind of the Chinese masses.
war
The article translates to the fol-acting as a re'ay station for lowing effect: During the fifteen supplies for Chungking. So the or sixteen months from the out- Hong Kong dollar keeps on falling. break of hostilities on July 7. The commodity shortage at 1937, at Lukouchjao to the Chungking has become acute. Japanese capture of the Wuhan Taking the prices prevalent there ureat, the large well-trained, at the start of the conflict as 100. modern armies of Gen. Chiang the provisions price index at the Kai-shek fought gallantly, Never-jend of 1940 had reached 980, and theless they were severely beaten that of clothing had climbed to by our forces everywhere, They 1,270. Prices have recently been suffered 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 | further inflated, Price advances casualties and the loss of most of precede the fall of the fapi ex- their aeroplanes and guns, which change rate, showing that the final are essential to the operations of inflation period has been entered. a modern army.
The only thing that is saving
the Chungking Government
from financial ruin is the ald from Britain and the United States.
00000
DESERT GUIDE CAUGHT
A fortnight after the announcement that he was awarded the Founders Medal of the Royal Geographi- cal Society, Captain P. A. Clayton, D.S.O., was reported prisoner of war.
Captain Clayton received the medal for his surveys of the Libyan Desert and the use of his knowledge in desert warfare dur- ing recent operations.
GERMANS BOMBING
RED CROSS
The Union of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the U.S.S.R. have addressed the fol- lowing telegram to the International Red Cross Committee in Geneva.
Since the Hankow campaign Gen. Chiang'a forces adopted a different strategy, continued to the present day, of resisting our forces by guerilia operations. Loans and credits advanced by In this their hope la to defeat them to China since the conflict Japan by exhausting her In a began total some $10,400,000,000. prolonged war.
This money has been applied to the purchase of war supplies and construction materia's,
to and stabilisation of the fapl.
Chungking to-day can Hel material solely by
the Burma route. So the Chungking authori-territory of the U.S.S.R. ties spend much effort on trying to
"From June 22 to 28, German maintain and improve this road, bombers attacked and destroyed but our 'planes are frequently hospitals in Grodno, Lide, Minsk bombing it, interfering with its and Smolensk. They also bombed
Disregarding this project, how ever. we are guiding the China Incident into the reconstruction of China, This has tried severely the patience of the Chungking Government. It has come to the conclusion that it must revive its Aghting strength by reorganising
its armles and win victory by posi-
tive resistance, taking advantage
of any favourable turn in the in- ternational situation.
Japanese Army Strategy
transportation cupacity.
Nanking Reserve Bank
"The Union of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the US.S.R. resolutely protests against the repeated bombings of am- bulance units and institutions by German troops which invaded the
an ambulance train in Lwow and many field ambulance stations.
fication marks established by the Geneva convention for such in- stitutions. Three bombardments
despite the clearly visible identi-
resulted in casualties among medi- cal staff, wounded and sick under treatment in hospitals."--Tass.
The new Kuomintang govern- To meet this plan, the Japanese ment at Nakinng established the army is carrying on cleaning-up Central Reserve Bank last Janu- operations throughout China, thus
ary, and proceeded to issue new reducing the fighting strength of
fapi notes. the Chinese.
Chungking, despite its The recent great reliance on its Anglo-American military operations in southwest Shansi can be said to have reveal friends, is in a bad way, but the ed the fighting power of our forces new Nanking fapi are successful- everywhere, and that of the Chinese.
The enemy forces which oper- ated in that campaign were fifteen or sixteen divisions, comprising about. 200,000 men. Our forces consisted of only a few divisions,
how-
or
ly circulating. Our economic For us to reach the minds of the blackade of the Chungking Gov-Chinese people is a greater matter ernment Ls Just beginning
questions to than
of thought achieve its real effects. The more opinion. In this connection, China we intensify it, the nearer It may be divided into three cate- gories: (1) old China, with brings the fall of our enemy.
Chungking as its centre, which is resisting Japan; (2) interior China, which belleves itself at one with the democratic, moneyed nations Britain and America; and (3) new China, centring round Nanking, which is organising itself for peace and against communism.
Meantime, Japan is fighting a collected from various points,
With this small force,
severe economie war with Britain and the United States. Therefore ever, we surrounded the enemy it will be a big factor in our eco- three sides, destroyed in a few days
nomic blockade of Chungking for the strong fortifications Japan to change from the eco- which it had taken them six
nomic system of dependence on months to construct, and anni-
Britain and the United States to hilated the enemy's forces. This
the system of east Asian self- proves that our fighting strength
sufficiency. has increased during the present stage of the China Incident.
The China conflict is, in one conso, a war of anti-Japanese Therefore, despite what Chung-
thought, with dependence an king may do to reconstruct its
Britain and the United States armies, it will be impossible for it
and cooperation with Com- to regain sufficient strength to
munism, against East Aslan make a general attack. The enemy
friendship and anti-Communiam. will be able to maintain their
Our enemy proclaims that Japan forces in remote districts due to
Is imperialistic, that Wang Ching- the vastness of the country. But
wei is a traitor. economic co- the Japanese forces will relent-operation is an intrique, Japan is lessly maintain strong pressure on being exhausted by the protracted them, and it is obvious that the warfare, and that the international enemy will eventually be com-cituation is turning against Japan, pletely defeated.
The enemy's greatest suffering Propaganda Shown
is caused by the vast increase of their war expenditure and the malignant inflation caused by the
False
of
The future leadership China will be decided by which of these three will bring hap- places to the Chinese people. Japanese troops are welcomed everywhere by the Chinese pub- lic, but it will take time for our Ideals to be fully under- stood by the vast masses of China.
The world situation changes daily, amid which Japan's inter- national position is advancing. While the anti-Japanese forces in China have been pressed back to remote areas, the Ch'na conflict has built up the general wartime structure in Japan and heighten- ed our position in the world. Japanese Position Heightened
lack of commodities. The fabi The facts of to-day prove that Issue. was estimated at some all this propaganda is false. But -6,000,000,000 at the end of 1940, the Chinese troops and people in'
The China .. conflict has never compared with 1,400,000,000 be- the. interior believe in this Chung- fore the conflict started. The faplicing propaganda, as they are cut been such a war as to exhaust exchange rate on the pound sterl-off from the outside world. There-Japang Some people see only the ing was 1s. 24d, when the conflint | fore: we keenly feel the need of retrenchment side of the daily began, but it has now fallon in strengthening our propaganda.lite of the Japanese, and thereby about '34d.
In waging this thought war, arrive at the notion that the Japan has the great advantage of China conflict is exhausting our her objective being based on the national strength.
-
Blockade Of Chinese
Ports
spirit of international brother The fact is, however, that our hood. Our true intention is to help productivity is constantly increas stwie the world to be a family, in which ing, and our army and navy are The Japanese navy's blockade all will be on friendly terms. We expanding. And we must still of the China coast has been fur- use the sword against only those further make manifest the Japan- ther intensified since last Febru- who refuse to recognise this, or ese spirit of serving our country, ary, and Hong Kong has been de resist our efforts. Our thought war, surmounting all obstacles and prived of its former function of based on justice, is gaining results 'difficulties.
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