The Peking Government, answering the Japanese Note of May 18th,
says that it is impossible for China to admit that Japan would be entitled to use force to prevent the civil war spreading into Manchuria. This would be a " violation of Chinese sovereignty." The Peking Government points out that there is at :present no trouble in Manchuria, and that if ever there .should be the Chinese themselves would be responsible for the safety of foreigners. In particular Peking points out that the Japanese proposal conflicts with the Washington Treaty. All this is as unsatisfactory as it is natural. Everybody knows that if the civil war surged into Manchuria foreigners would hot be safe. The real question is the limitations which Japan will set for herself. In this connexion one of the highest military authorities in Japan has made a very reassuring statement to. the Tokyo correspondent of the Times. He said that the Japanese War Office and Foreign Office were agreed upon desiring the success of the Nationalists. They had come to the conclusion that this Was inevitable, and therefore they thought that the sooner the change took place the better it would he .for the peace of China. * * .*
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