Salt Lake Telegram | 1937-08-20 | Page 1 | Japan Rejects Peace Proposal

JAPAN REJECTS PEACE PROPOSAL Foreign Intervention Barred in Strife TOKIO, Aug. ' 20 (Jt Premier Prince Fumimsro Konoys today barred foreign Intervention la tho undeclared Sino-Japanese war and asserted any settlement must be made by China and Japan alone. Such a settlement, he indicated, could not be mads unUl Japaa bad chastised the Chinese army. He said the government had been compelled com-pelled to abandon its previous attitude atti-tude of passivs defense and assume tho offensive with the ultimata aim of effecting amicable relations between be-tween China and Japan. He declined to comment further on the British proposal to establish estab-lish a neutral sons In Shanghai except ex-cept to say his government's attitude atti-tude hsd already been presented to the British by the foreign office. This attitude was that the Chinese must first withdraw their troops before Jspan could consider tho British proposal The foreign office answer was considered, in effect, a flat rejection of the British suggestion to bring peace to war-torn Shanghai and eliminate the grave danger ta Its large international population. Amplifying the Japanese position, the foreign office spokesman said Chinese troops must withdraw far enough beyond ths limits of ths 1933 demilitarized sons to make a positive posi-tive attack Impossible. He would not say whether Japanese troops would then withdraw but added, in principle, that Jspan did not desire de-sire to launch an aggressivs attack.