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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned to the Foreign Office when done with unless required for official use.
CHINA
POLITICAL
Decypel.
Sir J. Jordan.
(Peking) February 4th.1916.
D. 12.45.p.m.
February 4th.1916.
R. 3.10.p.m.
No. 55.
!
Tokio telegram 1o. 34.
I have had some conversation with Korsakoff who is
here and is seeing President to-day.
He gave me to understand that so far as China is con- cerned Mission to Tekio had achieved nothing and that he did not expect Japan to take any pronounced action to destroy German influence and interests in China at least 60 long as Okuma Linistry is in power. His impressions were mainly based upon intimate conversations with Count Terauchi who
as very frank and outspoken. The Count said that at first To and Military Farty generally in Japan thought Germans would win hands down. They now saw war would be a long one of exhaustion with little or no decisive result.
Korsakoff thinks therefore that Japanese are content to watch events and are not disposed to commit themselves too deeply to either side.
As regards Yuan Shih Kai he thinks Japanese Government; will eventually recognise him as Emperor if he succeeds in Count Terauchi considered overcoming opposition in South.
Baron Ishii, being new to office, had made a mistake in in- tervening in monarchical question and that it was now large - ly a question of satisfying Japanese amour propre.
Repeated to Tcklo.
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