Japan's Peace Terms The only ground for attaching importance to
"Japan's Peace Terms for China," as outlined by Prince Konoe last Thursday, is the suggestion that the visit of Mr. Wang Ching-wei, Chairman of the Chinese Political Council, to Hong-kong has as its object the opening of peace pourparlers ; and for that suggestion there is no authority of any value. The proposals themselves are framed in language which argues an almost pathetic belief in the credulity of the Chinese to whom they are addressed. They include stipulations that China shall recognise the Japanese annexation of Manchukuo ; adhere to the Anti-Comintern Pact ; agree to the stationing of Japanese troops at any point in China that Japan may specify, and to the designation of Inner Mongolia "as a special anti-Communist [alias Japanese] area " ; and to freedom of residence and trade for Japanese throughout China and the Japanese development of China's natural resources. This means in effect the establishment of complete Japanese hegemony over China as the result of an 18-months' campaign which has given Japan effective control over a number of strategic centres and precarious control over her lines of communications. Despite China's immense losses there is little likelihood that she will even consider such tenns. She is encouraged by the credits forthcoming from the United States and Great Britain, while Japan's economy, as an article on a later page of this issue shows, is being severely strained.
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