The China Affair and World Developments from July, 1937 to November, 1938
—Reviewed in Chronological Order—
Bureau of Information, Prime Minister's Department
1937
July 2 The Soviet-Manchoukuo border dispute at Kanchatze is settled; the Soviet Union undertakes to withdraw its troops.
July 6 Intrusion into Manchoukuoan territory by Soviet troops is reported from several frontier points. The Soviet Union files a protest alleging that Japanese troops have landed on Chinamu Island. The protest is rejected as unfounded.
Japan's national debt as of June, 1937 is announced to be 10,580,300,000 yen exclusive of 438,000,000 yen in negotiable securities.
North China Incident
July 7 Troops of the Japanese garrison at Fengtai, near Peking, engaged in night drill are fired on by Chinese soldiers belonging to the 29th Army at 11 : 40 p. m. at a point north of Lukouchiao (Marco Polo Bridge).
The licence system for import exchange in Japan is revised; its duration is extended and the limit of unrestricted dealings is lowered to 1,000 yen a year.
July 8 The Japanese Foreign Office publishes details of the Marco Polo Bridge incident; the Chinese Nationalist Government holds a conference at Kuling (Lushan) on the same affair.
At London, a trade conference between Japan and Great Britain is opened.
July 9 The United States and China conclude a silver agreement.
July 11 Lieut.-Gen. Kiyoshi Katsuki is appointed commander of the Japanese Garrison in China. The Third Squadron of the Japanese Navy assumes a position of vigilance.
Gen. Chiang Kai-shek issues instructions for armed action against Japan.
At an emergency session of the Cabinet, the Japanese Government decides, in principle, to send troops to North China and issues a statement to that effect.
July 12 The Chinese Nationalist Government issues mobilization orders.
Marine insurance premiums on shipments for China are raised.
July 13 A minor clash between Japanese and Chinese troops occurs at Matsun, near Peking.
China's protest against the Marco Polo Bridge incident is rejected by Japan. The Chinese Nationalist Government sends a memorandum to all foreign Powers on the North China issue.
July 14 Raising of the status of the Trade Bureau as independent organ of the Department of Commerce and Industry is announced in Tokyo.
July 15 Orders are issued for the dispatch of reinforcements from Japan Proper to North China.
Prefectural governors hold an emergency conference.
The Bank of Japan lowers its interest rate on loans secured on national bonds and that on current overdrafts by .01 sen for each 100 yen per diem.
July 16 Cordell Hull, American
Secretary of State, publishes a statement expressing hope for the non-aggravation of the North China Incident.
July 17 The evacuation of all Japanese residents in Shantung Province other than those in Tsingtao is ordered.
Shinrokuro Hidaka, councillor of the Japanese Embassy in China, delivers a note to Wang Chung-hui, Chinese Foreign Minister.
The Anglo-German and Anglo-Soviet naval agreements are signed.
July 18 In Tokyo, the Cabinet approves an expenditure of 10,000,000 yen to cover expenses of the Incident.
July 19 The Nationalist Government makes public its intentions of seeking a local settlement of the North China imbroglio.
July 20 The Japanese Cabinet passes an urgent decision in favour of taking appropriate measures for defence of the nation.
Special Diet Session
July 23 The 71st Diet convenes in special session at Tokyo.
July 25 A fresh clash occurs between Japanese and Chinese troops at Langfang, between Peking and Tientsin.
The new rate of valuation for the specie reserve of the Bank of Japan is fixed at 12.931 yen per momme (3.75 grammes).
July 26 Japanese troops are fired on by Chinese guards at Kuanganmen, one of the outer city gates of Peking. General Katsuki hands a note to Sung Che-yuan, commander of the 29th Army.
July 27 Sung Che-yuan is notified that the Japanese Garrison in China reserves freedom of action. Sung intimates his intention of resigning.
The Foreign Ministry of the Nationalist Government issues a statement laying the blame for the North China Incident on Japan.
The Japanese Government issues a statement showing that Japan has been constrained to take action in self-protection. The Diet passes a resolution of appreciation for the services of the Imperial Army and Navy.
July 28 The Japanese Garrison in China, after announcing its resolution, starts a punitive campaign against troops of the 29th Army around Peking and captures Nanyuan.
The Tungchow Massacre
July 29 Japanese residents in Tungchow, near Peking, are massacred by the Paoantui (local Constabulary). Japanese troops occupy the left bank of the Yungting River. Chiang Kai-shek proclaims resistance against Japan.
An additional budget is passed by the Japanese Diet to cover expenses for the North China Incident.
July 30 The Peace Preservation Committee of Peking is inaugurated. Japanese troops occupy Taku.
August
Aug. 3 The revised Ordinance controlling profiteering is promulgated for immediate enforcement in Japan.
Aug. 4 H. H. Kung, Finance Minister of the Nationalist Government, confirms his reported success in obtaining a new loan from Great Britain.
Aug. 6 The All-China National Defence Council, convening at Nanking, approves the decision to wage war against Japan.
Aug. 7 The Japanese Diet passes the Bill for the Protection of Military Secrets. The Special Taxes Bill for the North China Incident and a second additional budget for 410,000,000 yen are also passed.
Japanese Troops Enter Peking
Aug. 8 A Japanese detachment enters Peking.
Aug. 9 Japanese residents in the
Yangtze valley are withdrawn. Second Lieutenant Oyama of the Japanese Navy is murdered in Shanghai by Chinese gendarmes.
H. H. Kung announces that a special credit has been arranged for China in Paris.
Aug. 10 El Salvador resigns from membership in the League of Nations.
Aug. 12 The foreign ministry of the Nationalist Government publishes a statement on Sino-Japanese relations, blaming Japan for aggravation of the situation.
Aug. 13 The Japanese naval landing party in Shanghai is fired on by Chinese troops.
Aug. 14 Chinese planes attempt an air raid on the headquarters of the Japanese landing party and the Japanese consulate-general in Shanghai. The commander of the Japanese Third Squadron, after due warning, opens fire on assembling Chinese troops.
Foreign Minister Koki Hirota replies to an inquiry from Hsu Shih-ying, Chinese ambassador in Tokyo, informing the latter of Japan's unshakable policy. The British Government suggests the neutralization of Shanghai.
Japan Decides to Send Troops to Shanghai
The Japanese Government decides to send troops to Shanghai.
Aug. 15 Flying across the China Sea, a number of Japanese planes carry out air raids on military establishments in Nanking and Nanchang.
Shinrokuro Hidaka, resident councillor of the Japanese Embassy in Nanking, is ordered to leave for home.
The Japanese Government issues a statement announcing the necessity for a vigorous punitive expedition against the Nanking Government.
Aug. 19 The French Government expresses approval of the suggested neutralization of Shanghai. The Japanese Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs replies to the British Chargé d'Affaires in Tokyo on the said plan.
Aug. 20 Japanese residents at Swatow, Fuchow and Canton are evacuated.
An exchange agreement is concluded between Japan and Great Britain.
Aug. 23 Japanese military forces succeed in landing near Lotienchen and Woosungchen, east of Shanghai, in face of enemy fire.
Secretary of State Hull of the United States issues a statement appealing to Japan and China for an amicable settlement.
Aug. 25 The Japanese capture Pataling and Kalgan, north of Peking.
Naval Blockade of China Coast Announced
The commander of the Japanese Third Squadron proclaims a naval blockade of the China coast between the Yangtze River and Swatow against all Chinese shipping.
Aug. 26 The British Ambassador to China, Sir Hughe M. Knatchbull-Hugessen, is wounded when fired on by mistake by Japanese planes. Japanese residents are withdrawn from Tsingtao.
The Japanese Foreign Office announces Japan's intention to respect third Powers' peaceful commerce in connection with the blockading of the China coast.
Aug. 29 The Nationalist Government announces the conclusion of a Soviet-Chinese non-aggression pact. Great Britain addresses a note to Japan regarding the Knatchbull-Hugessen incident.
Aug. 30 China files a memorandum with the League of Nations regarding the Sino-Japanese dispute. Chinese planes bomb the American liner President Hoover. The United States Government immediately files a protest with the Nationalist Government.
Aug. 31 Woosungchen falls to Japanese troops.
September
Sept. 1 Japanese military units land at the Shanghai pier.
Sept. 3 The 72nd Diet is convened in Tokyo in an extraordinary session.
The Autonomous Government of South Chahar is inaugurated.
Entire China Coast Placed Under Blockade
Sept. 5 The Japanese Navy proclaims the extension of the blockade against Chinese shipping to include the entire China coast. The Japanese Foreign Office issues a statement in this connection.
Sept. 8 H. I. H. Prince Chichibu arrives in Berlin.
The Nanking Government notifies foreign Powers of its intention to bomb Japanese shipping in retaliation for the Japanese blockade of the China coast.
The Japanese Diet approves an additional budget for the 1937-38 fiscal year, an extraordinary war budget and 11 important wartime bills (authorizing expenditure of a total of 2,022,000,000 yen).
Sept. 11 Machang and vicinity on the Tientsin-Pukow Railway fall into Japanese hands. Chu Teh, communist leader, is appointed commander-in-chief of the Chinese 8th Route Army, formerly known as the Red Army of China.
Sept. 11 The Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers are among the speakers at a mass meeting held in Tokyo to start the campaign for general spiritual mobilization of the nation.
Sept. 13 Tatung, Shansi Province, falls into Japanese hands.
The 18th Assembly of the League of Nations is convened. China files an appeal to the body regarding the Sino-Japanese dispute. The Soviet Union rescinds its previous recognition of the Japanese consulates at Odessa and Novosibirsk.
Sept. 14 President Franklin D. Roosevelt announces an embargo on all shipments of arms aboard craft owned by the U. S. Government.
Sept. 15 The appointment of General Count Toshikazu Terauchi and General Iwane Matsui as supreme commanders respectively of the Japanese expeditionary forces in North China and those in the Shanghai region is made public.
Sept. 18 Chochow is occupied by Japanese troops.
T. I. H. Prince and Princess Chichibu leave England for Japan.
Sept. 19 Vice-Admiral Kiyoshi Hasegawa, commander of the Japanese Third Squadron, issues a notice for nationals of third Powers and Chinese non-combatants living in Nanking and vicinity, advising them to keep away from military establishments. A large Japanese air unit attacks Nanking.
Sept. 21 A vigorous air raid is made on Canton.
The Bank of Japan reduces its interest rate on current overdrafts by 0.01 sen for each 100 yen per diem.
Sept. 23 Great Britain replies to Japan regarding the Knatchbull-Hugessen incident, settling the affair amicably. Germany declines participation in the Committee of 23 of the League of nations. Britain, the United States and France protest against air raids on Nanking.
Paoting Falls
Sept. 24 Japanese troops enter Paoting. Tsangchow and Pingtichuan also fall into Japanese hands.
Sept. 25 The Commission of Information of the Japanese Government is reorganized into the Bureau of Information, Prime Minister's Department.
Sept. 27 The Temporary Law for Adjustment of Capital and other relevant laws and ordinances are put into effect
in Japan.
Sept. 28 The Assembly of the League of Nations passes a resolution drafted by the Committee of 23 censuring Japan.
October
Oct. 1 The Japanese legation in Poland is raised to the status of an embassy.
A Planning Bureau is created in the Home Department of the Japanese Government.
Oct. 5 An anti-Japanese mass meeting is held in London under the chairmanship of the Archbishop of Canterbury. President Roosevelt of the United States speaks at Chicago censuring Japan. At the League of Nations, the committee of 23 adopts a resolution unfavourable to Japan, but the Assembly postpones voting thereon.
The Japanese Foreign Office issues a statement refuting criticisms raised by the League of Nations and the American State Department.
Oct. 6 The League Assembly passes the proposed resolution and on the basis of this resolution decides to convene a conference of the signatories to the Nine-Power Treaty. The American State Department releases a statement stigmatizing Japan's action as violating the Nine-Power Treaty and the Kellogg Pact. Japan issues a statement refuting the arguments in President Roosevelt's speech. Premier Mussolini of Italy expresses support for Japan in a newspaper editorial.
Oct. 8 The walled town of Chengting is reduced.
Anti-Japanese agitations are reported in England and the United States.
Oct. 9 The Japanese Government publishes a statement refuting the allegation of the League of Nations and the United States that Japan has violated the Nine-Power Treaty.
Oct. 10 Shihchiachuang falls into Japanese hands.
Oct. 11 A licence system is enforced on exports and imports in Japan.
Oct. 12 The Central Federation for National Spiritual Mobilization is inaugurated in Japan.
A new trade agreement is signed and takes effect between Japan and India.
Oct. 13 200,000,000 yen worth of China Incident Bonds are issued in Japan.
Oct. 14 The walled town of Kueihua in Suiyuan Province is captured.
The Vatican expresses sympathy toward Japan's anti-Communist position in China.
Oct. 15 The Autonomous Government of North Shansi is set up at Tatung.
T. I. H. Prince and Princess Chichibu return to Japan.
The Board of Cabinet Advisers is organized in Tokyo with 10 Sangi (Cabinet Counsellors) appointed.
Oct. 16 Belgium issues invitations for the forthcoming Nine-Power Conference.
Oct. 17 Paotou, in Suiyüan, is occupied.
Japan's General Federation of Labour renounces strikes at its national convention.
Oct. 24 Japanese forces start a general offensive in all sectors around Shanghai.
Oct. 25 The Board of Planning is organized in the Japanese Government.
Oct. 26 Japanese troops capture Tachangchen, north of Shanghai.
Oct. 27 Mongol representatives meet in convention and proclaim the inauguration of an autonomous administration under the Federation of Mongol Leagues and Banners. In the Shanghai region, Kiangwanchen, Chapei and Chenjuchen are captured.
Oct. 27 Japan declines participation in the Nine-Power Conference and publishes a statement explaining her position in that connection.
Oct. 29 Germany refuses to join the Nine-Power Conference.
Organization of the Manchuria Heavy Industries Company (Manchuria Industrial Development Corporation) by the Nissan interests is made public.
Oct. 31 Japanese troops cross Soochow Creek and complete the clean-up of remnant Chinese troops in Chapei.
November
Nov. 2 A provisional commercial treaty is initialled by Japan and Siam.
Nov. 3 In Shansi Province, Hsinkouchen falls into Japanese hands.
The Nine-Power Conference is opened at Brussels.
Nov. 5 Japanese army units effect a surprise landing at Hangchow Bay in the face of enemy fire.
Japan signs a treaty with Manchoukuo providing for the abolition of the former's extraterritorial rights in the latter country.
Nov. 6 The Japanese-German-Italian Anti-Comintern Agreement is signed at Rome. The Nine-Power Conference adopts a draft reply to Japan, renewing its invitation for Japan's participation.
Nov. 9 The walled city of Taiyuan, capital of Shansi Province, is captured. Lunghwa, southwest of Shanghai, is reduced.
Shanghai is Taken
The Japanese complete the capture of Shanghai.
Nov. 10 Premier Chang Ching-hui of Manchoukuo arrives in Tokyo on an official visit.
Nov. 12 Nanshih of Shanghai and Nansiang on the Shanghai-Nanking Railway fall into Japanese hands.
Japan turns down the renewed invitation to the Nine-Power Conference. An Imperial message is granted to the Japanese troops operating in North China and Inner Mongolia.
Nov. 13 Japanese army units land at Paimaokou on the southern bank of the Yangtze River. Kating is occupied.
Nov. 15 The Nine-Power Conference adopts a declaration against Japan.
Nov. 16 The Nationalist Government decides to remove all administrative machineries other than military ones from Nanking to Chungking, Hankow and Changsha.
Nov. 19 Soochow, Changshu and Kashing fall into Japanese hands. Foreign envoys' offices in Nanking are removed to Hankow.
Nov. 20 The Nationalist Government announces the removal of its capital to Chungking.
Mamoru Shigemitsu, Japanese Ambassador at Moscow, urges the Soviet Government to sign the draft fishery treaty. The Soviet Union proposes to open negotiations for revision of the said treaty.
Imperial messages are granted to the troops operating in the Shanghai region, the commander of the Combined Fleet and the commander of the Japanese Fleet in China Waters, respectively. The Imperial Headquarters is opened in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, with its army department housed in the Army General Staff Office and its navy department in the Navy General Staff Office.
Wartime marine insurance premiums for shipments bound for China Sea and Mediterranean Sea ports are reduced.
Nov. 22 The Federal Committee of Mongolian Districts is organized at Kalgan.
Nov. 23 The Bank of Mengchiang (Mongolian Districts) is opened.
Nov. 24 The Brussels Nine-Power Conference adjourns indefinitely after adopting a declaration.
Nov. 25 Japanese troops occupy Wusih.
The first anniversary of the conclusion
of the Anti-Comintern Pact between Japan and Germany is celebrated in both countries.
Nov. 27 Japan calls the attention of the Soviet Union to the frequent unlawful acts on the part of the latter.
The Foreign Exchange Bureau is organized within the Bank of Japan.
Nov. 29 Italy extends recognition to Manchoukuo.
December
Dec. 1 Manchoukuo abolishes extraterritoriality. Japan accords de jure recognition to the Franco regime of Spain.
Dec. 2 Manchoukuo and the Franco régime complete procedures of mutual recognition.
Dec. 5 The Tatao Municipal Government of Shanghai is organized at Pootung.
Dec. 8 The Japanese-Siamese Commercial Treaty is signed.
Dec. 9 Wuhu in Anhwei Province and Chinkiang in Kiansu are taken.
Dec. 10 It is announced that T. I. H. Princes Yasuhiko Asaka and Haruhito Kanin have been serving in military operations in China. The Kuanghuamen, one of Nanking's city gates, is captured.
Dec. 11 The Italian Premier announces Italy's withdrawal from the League of Nations.
Dec. 12 The U. S. gunboat Panay and the British war vessel Ladybird on the Yangtze River are attacked by mistake by Japanese planes.
Nanking Falls
Dec. 13 The walled city of Nanking falls into Japanese hands. Pukow is captured. Chiang Kai-shek announces his intention of continuing warfare.
Foreign Minister Koki Hirota of Japan expresses regret to the American Ambassador in Tokyo regarding the Panay incident.
Dec. 14 His Majesty the Emperor of Japan grants a gracious message to his Army and Navy in connection with the fall of Nanking.
Dr. Eiichi Baba, the Japanese Home Minister, resigns his portfolio and Admiral Nobumasa Suetsugu, Cabinet Counsellor, is installed in office as his successor.
Dec. 14 The Provisional Government of the Chinese Republic is founded. Peiping is renamed Peking, the latter being that city's ancient name.
Dec. 16 The Provisional Government of China takes over the maritime custom houses at Tientsin and Chinwangtao and announces its intention of revising the customs tariff.
Dec. 17 Japanese troops make a triumphal entry into the walled city of Nanking.
Japan lodges a protest with the Soviet Union against the latter's unlawful dealings with Japanese nationals in Vladivostok and Northern Saghalien.
Dec. 20 Sir Archibald Kerr Clark Kerr is appointed British Ambassador to China to succeed Sir Hughe M. Knatchbull-Hugessen.
Dec. 23 The Peace Preservation Committee of Nanking is formed.
Dec. 24 Hangchow is captured.
The 73rd Diet meets in Tokyo.
Dec. 25 The U. S. State Department expresses satisfaction with the Japanese reply regarding the Panay affair.
Dec. 26 A naval blockade is proclaimed against Tsingtao.
Dec. 27 Japanese army units enter the walled city of Tsinan.
Dec. 30 That the Japanese-Soviet Fishery Treaty will remain in force for one year, is announced in Tokyo.
Dec. 31 The Ladybird case is settled amicably between Japan and Great Britain.
1938
January
Jan. 1 The Nationalist Government is reorganized as General Chiang Kaishek
resigns from the presidency of the Executive Yuan in order to concentrate on military affairs. Peace Preservation committees are organized at Tsinan and Hangchow.
Manchoukuo's new customs tariff law goes into effect.
Jan. 4 Japanese naval planes bomb Hankow.
Jan. 7 Japanese naval planes conduct a large-scale air raid on Nanchang.
The Federal Reserve Bank of China is organized.
Jan. 10 A Japanese naval landing party lands at Tsingtao.
Figures on Japan's foreign trade for 1937 are released, showing the amount of excess in imports to have been 635,000,000 yen.
Jan. 11 Holding a conference before the Throne, Japan's Imperial Headquarters adopt what is known as the supreme China policy. The Government organizes the Department of Welfare with Marquis Koichi Kido installed as Welfare Minister. General Baron Sadao Araki, formerly War Minister, succeeds him as Education Minister.
Jan. 12 The British Government reveals that it has sent a representation to the Japanese Government in order to preserve its right of free navigation on the Yangtze River.
Austria and Hungary recognize the Spanish Franco régime.
Jan. 16 The Japanese Government issues a statement announcing its determination never to deal with the Nationalist Government.
Sun Ke, president of the Legislative Yuan of the Nationalist Government, arrives at Moscow on an official visit.
Jan. 17 The Radio Broadcasting Station of Greater Shanghai begins operations.
Jan. 18 Japan opens its Consulate-General at Peking. The Nationalist Government publishes a statement denouncing the new régime in China.
The new Chautemps Cabinet is formed in France.
Shigeru Kawagoe, Japanese Ambassador to China, is recalled.
Jan. 19 The Japanese Government makes public the details of Germany's good offices in attempting to negotiate for peace between Japan and China.
Jan. 20 Hsu Shih-ying, Chinese Ambassador to Japan, leaves for home.
Jan. 22 The Provisional Government of North China revises the customs tariff.
The 73rd Diet is re-opened in Tokyo after the year-end and New Year holidays, with the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the Foreign Minister speaking on governmental policies.
Jan. 23 The general outline of a projected law for general mobilization of the Japanese nation is made public.
Jan. 24 The South Manchuria Railway Company is reorganized.
Jan. 26 The Soviet Union notifies Japan of the former's discontinuance of the parcel post service to and from Japan.
Jan. 27 The American State Department makes public its protest to Japan and the results thereof regarding the alleged infringements upon the United States' vested interests in Nanking and other Chinese cities. The Manchoukuoan Government issues a communique regarding the detention of a Soviet plane.
Jan. 30 Representatives of the Anti-Communist Autonomous Government of East Hopei and the Provisional Government of China sign an agreement providing for the amalgamation of the former with the latter.
Jan. 31 General Franco founds the National Government of Spain.
February
Feb. 2 The Council of the League of Nations passes a resolution regarding the Sino-Japanese dispute.
A direct air service is opened between Japan and China. A Japanese-Dutch commercial agreement is concluded.
Feb. 3 Chefoo is occupied.
Feb. 5 The Japanese Foreign Office receives a note from Britain and the United States asking for assurance that Japan will not build large capital ships.
Feb. 7 A note similar in purport to the above-mentioned communication is received by Japan from France.
Feb. 9 Japan decides to enforce military control on enemy properties in Central China. An air raid is carried out on Changsha.
Feb. 10 The State Council of Manchoukuo adopts the Law for the General Mobilization of the Nation.
The sale within Japan of fabrics for export is prohibited.
Feb. 12 Operation of through trains is resumed between Tientsin and Tsinan.
Japan replies to the British, American and French notes refusing to notify the three countries of Japan's building programme, and simultaneously publishes a statement explaining its views on the matter. The Japanese Foreign Office replies to the American protest concerning the vested rights and interests of the United States in China.
Feb. 14 A ceremony is held in Singapore marking the completion of a dry-dock.
Feb. 17 Details of the first-period part of the 4-year economic development plan for North China are made public.
China Affair Budget Fixed
Feb. 17 The extraordinary war budget of Japan is fixed at 4,850,000,000 yen.
Feb. 18 The Army Department of the Imperial Headquarters publishes a communique regarding the partial relieving and readjustment of the Japanese expeditionary forces in China. Chungking is attacked from the air.
Feb. 18 The Japanese Cabinet approves the draft Law for National General Mobilization.
Feb. 20 Reichsführer Hitler, speaking in the Reichstag, intimates Germany's intention to recognize Manchoukuo.
Feb. 21 Robert Anthony Eden resigns as British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Feb. 22 Japan decides to adopt the so-called link system for imported wool.
Feb. 23 General Iwane Matsui, commander of the Japanese forces in the Shanghai region, H.I.H. Lieutenant-General Prince Asaka, and Lieutenant-General Heisuke Yanagawa are recalled to Japan, and General Shunroku Hata is appointed commander to succeed General Matsui.
Several Chinese planes make their appearance over an airfield north of Taihoku in Taiwan and drop about 10 bombs.
Feb. 24 The Nationalist Government lodges a protest with Germany against the recent announcement of the latter's intention of according recognition to Manchoukuo.
Feb. 25 A large-scale engagement is staged between Japanese and Chinese planes in the air over Nanchang.
Japan decides to create the Materials Adjustment Bureau as an independent organ of the Department of Commerce and Industry.
Feb. 27 Madame Chiang Kai-shek, resigns as chairman of the Chinese Air Force.
March
March 1 Regulations controlling distribution of cotton yarn are put into effect in Japan.
March 6 Japanese forces capture Puchow in Shansi Province.
March 7 Japan enforces regulations for the control of sales of volatile and heavy oils. A group of Japanese financial organizations decides to
extend a credit of 100,000,000 yen to the Federal Reserve Bank of China.
March 8 Japanese planes carry out air raids on the airfields at Sian, capital of Shensi Province, and Siangyang in Hupei Province.
March 10 The Chautemps Cabinet of France resigns again.
The Federal Reserve Bank of China starts business.
March 11 A new Cabinet is organized in Austria as the German Army marches in.
War Budget Passed
March 12 Japan's additional budget for war expenditures amounting to 4,850,000,000 yen is put into force after its passage by the House of Peers.
March 13 Reichsführer Hitler proclaims the Anschluss of Austria. The Blum Cabinet is installed in France.
March 14 Decision is made to increase the fiduciary reserve of the Bank of Japan by 700,000,000, yen.
March 15 The Japanese-Hungarian Cultural Society is inaugurated.
The International Olympic Committee, meeting at Cairo, officially approves the holding of the 1940 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
March 17 Japanese naval planes carry out an extensive air raid on several places in Central and South China. Lincheng in Shantung is reduced.
Manchoukuo decides to withhold payment of the balance of the price for the North Manchuria Railway (formerly known as the C. E. R.) in retaliation against breaches of faith on the part of the Soviet Union in connection with the agreement for the transfer of the said railway.
Poland sends an ultimatum to Lithuania regarding a border dispute.
An Italian goodwill mission arrives in Japan.
March 18 Japanese troops effect a landing on Tsungming Island in the estuary of the Yangtze River and take possession of the island.
March 21 Germany notifies the League of Nations of Austria's withdrawal. The United States requests Japan to indemnify the losses and damages caused in connection with the sinking of the U. S. gunboat Panay.
March 23 A new exchange agreement is put into effect between Japan and the United States.
General Mobilization Law Passed
March 24 The Japanese Diet passes the National General Mobilization Law.
March 25 Japan opens a naval port at Tokuyama.
An understanding is reached between Japan and the United States regarding fisheries off Alaska.
March 26 A vigorous air raid is conducted on Hsuchow.
The Japanese Diet passes the Law for the State Control of Electric Power as amended at the joint conference of the two Houses.
March 27 Japanese naval planes bomb Wuchang and Hankow.
New Régime at Nanking
March 28 The Renovation Government of the Chinese Republic is founded at Nanking with Liang Hung-chih installed as president of its Executive Yuan. Wang Ke-min, chairman of the Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of China is attacked and wounded in Peking.
March 29 The Kuomintang Party of China opens the sixth Convention of its National Delegates (known as the Sixth National Plenum).
March 30 The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of Italy elect Premier Mussolini Generalissimo of the Italian Army.
March 31 Japan partially lifts her ban on the sales within the country of broad cotton fabrics manufactured for export.
April
April 1 Notes are exchanged at the Anglo-American-French conference of
naval experts regarding the invocation of the escalator clause.
It is announced that 4,533 war dead have been newly enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.
The fiduciary reserve of the Bank of Japan is increased by 700,000,000 yen as previously decided on.
April 2 The 6th National Plenum of the Kuomintang elects Chiang Kai-shek as its president and passes the project for the organization of the National Political Council. China publishes her plan for "continued warfare and construction of the nation."
April 3 Taierhchuang is reduced. The siege of Hsuchow is completed.
April 4 The leaders of the new régimes at Peking and Nanking meet in conference at Peking.
Japan lodges a protest with the Soviet Union against the latter's assistance to China.
April 5 A detailed agreement on exchange quotations is put into effect between Japan and Great Britain. Japan enforces a licence system for exchange transactions.
April 8 The Blum Cabinet of France resigns.
April 9 The 4th Plenum of the Kuomintang's Central Committees (Supervisory, Executive and Political) approves the regulations governing the organization of the National Political Council.
The Soviet Union announces the closing of its Consulate-General at Kobe.
April 10 A referendum is held on the Austro-German Anschluss and the action is approved by 99 per cent of the vote. The Daladier Cabinet is installed in France.
The Provisional Government of the Chinese Republic opens its diplomatic representative's office in Tokyo.
April 12 The Japanese Army publishes its second statement regarding the use by Chinese of third Powers' flags in the war areas in China.
April 13 Night air raids are conducted on Hankow and Nanchang.
Japan's Foreign Office spokesman denies the Reuter and Tass reports that Japan has sought the good offices of Great Britain for mediation in the China Affair.
April 16 An agreement is signed at Rome facilitating the regulation of Anglo-Italian diplomatic relations.
April 18 Japan inaugurates the Board for the Protection of Wounded Soldiers with General Baron Shigeru Honjo installed as its president.
April 19 In Tokyo is organized the Bureau for Encouraging Savings Among the People. The Cabinet decides to launch a nation-wide campaign to encourage popular savings to the extent of 8,000,000,000 yen annually.
April 22 Japan pays an indemnity to the United States, thereby completely settling the Panay Incident.
The Central Commission on Commodity Prices is formed in Tokyo.
April 25 Japan enforces regulations for the mixing of gasoline with alcohol.
April 26 His Majesty the Emperor personally pays homage at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo during the special festival.
April 28 Wang Ke-min, chairman of the Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of China at Peking, makes an official visit to the Renovation Government at Nanking.
Anglo-French conversations are started in London.
Organizing committees are formed in Tokyo for the projected North China Development and Central China Promotion Companies.
April 29 Japanese planes shoot down 51 Chinese machines in an aerial battle over Hankow.
New Fleet Commander Appointed
April 30 Vice-Admiral Koshiro Oikawa is appointed Commander-in Chief of the Japanese Fleet in China waters.
May
May 1 Wang Keh-min, chairman of the Executive Committee of the Chinese Provisional Government, arrives in Tokyo.
Gasoline rationing goes into effect in Japan.
May 2 A new price for Japanese Government purchases of mined gold is established.
May 4 In Italy on an official visit, Reichsführer Adolf Hitler confers with Premier Benito Mussolini.
The issue relating to the transfer of the Shanghai maritime customs is settled.
May 5 The Chinese Nationalist Government protests to Great Britain against the Anglo-Japanese arrangement regarding the maritime customs.
An Italian economic mission arrives in Japan.
The National General Mobilization Law goes into effect.
May 6 Transfer of the maritime customs of Shanghai is completed.
Unrest is reported in the Sudeten area of Czechoslovakia.
May 9 The Temporary Bureau for Adjustment of Materials is formed within the Japanese Department of Commerce and Industry.
May 10 A Japanese naval unit lands on Amoy Island in the face of enemy fire.
Wellington Koo appeals to the Council of the League of Nations for assistance to China.
May 11 Preparations are completed for a general attack on Hsuchow.
Amoy is Taken
The Japanese naval party takes complete possession of Amoy.
Representatives of Japan and Manchoukuo hold a conference with the members of the Italian economic mission in Tokyo.
May 12 The Manchoukuoan-German Treaty of Amity is signed at Tokyo.
May 13 The Japan Iron Manufacturing Company increases its capitalization to 500 million yen.
May 14 Japanese forces sever the Lung-Hai Railway at a point west of Hsinanchen.
The Council of the League of Nations adopts a resolution concerning the Sino-Japanese conflict. Chile announces its intention of withdrawing from the League.
May 15 A new world record for length of time in continuous flight is established by an aeroplane of the Aeronautical Research Institute of the Tokyo Imperial University.
May 16 Contact is established between the Japanese Northern and Southern forces driving on Hsuchow in the vicinity of Tangshan Station on the Lung-Hai Railway.
Hsuchow Falls
May 19 Hsuchow falls to the Japanese forces.
May 20 A Japanese naval force lands at Lienyunchiang in the face of enemy fire. A few Chinese planes drop handbills over Kyushu Island in Southern Japan.
May 22 Soviet troops clash with Japanese frontier guards within Manchoukuoan territory near Hunchun.
May 24 Lanfeng falls into Japanese hands.
The Canadian Prime Minister issues a proclamation of non-intervention in the Sino-Japanese conflict.
May 25 The first meeting takes place between the commanders of the Japanese Northern and Southern Armies engaged in the battle for Hsuchow.
Konoe Cabinet Reorganized
May 26 The Japanese Cabinet headed by Prince Fumimaro Konoe as Prime Minister is reorganized with General Kazushige Ugaki, Seihin Ikeda and General Baron Sadao Araki installed
as Foreign Minister, Finance Minister (and concurrently Commerce and Industry Minister) and Education Minister respectively.
May 27 The Japanese Consulate-General at Amoy is reopened.
May 28 The walled city of Kueite is captured by the Japanese. Naval planes conduct extensive air raids on several places in Central and South China.
May 29 A contract for building a railway in Kwangsi Province with French capital is disclosed to the public.
May 30 As indications are given of the arrival of Chinese planes over Kyushu, an alarm is broadcast to all places on the island.
June
June 1 The Provisional and the Renovation Governments of China effect revision of China's customs tariffs.
The Nationalist Government sends notes to foreign Powers and the League of Nations protesting against the air raids on Canton. The Japanese Foreign Office and naval authorities call attention to the fact that these air raids have been directed exclusively against military establishments. The American State Department makes public its note sent to Japan with regard to the restoration of American property in China.
Japan revises its regulations concerning army uniforms.
June 3 Great Britain and the United States voice opposition to the Japanese air raids on Canton.
New War Minister Installed
Lieutenant-General Seishiro Itagaki is installed as War Minister in the Japanese Cabinet to succeed General Gen Sugiyama, who was appointed member of the Supreme War Council.
June 4 H. I. H. Prince Chichibu, brother of the Emperor, returns to Tokyo from Central and Northern China where he has been visiting the war fronts.
June 6 The walled town of Kaifeng falls into Japanese hands.
France joins Great Britain and the United States in censuring Japan for the air raids on Canton.
June 7 Japanese naval planes bomb military establishments in Canton.
June 8 General Li Tsung-jen is deprived of his command following his failure to defend Hsuchow.
June 10 Japanese forces sever the Peking-Hankow Railway at a point south of Chengchow.
June 11 Chinese troops, destroying a section of the banks of the Yellow River, render 100,000 inhabitants homeless. The Japanese Army and Navy begin the drive on Hankow. Masayuki Tani, Japanese Minister at Large sent to China, notifies third Powers of the said action.
The Chinese Chargé d'Affaires and all other members of the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo leave for home.
The Central Commission on Commodity Prices is organized in Japan.
June 13 Anking, capital of Anhwei Province, is captured.
June 17 Chienshan is reduced.
What is known as the Five-Minister Conference meets for the first time in Tokyo.
June 18 The Provisional and the Renovation Governments of China publicly denounce the Chiang Kai-shek Régime.
June 21 The Committee for Non-intervention in the Spanish Civil War approves a plan for withdrawal of foreign volunteers.
June 23 The Japanese Cabinet adopts a revised plan for the mobilization of materials and announces restrictions on the use of 32 items of materials.
June 25 Foreign Minister General Kazushige Ugaki is installed concurrently as Minister of Overseas Affairs.
June 26 Matowchen, in Anhwei Province, is attacked.
June 27 Chinese troops destroy a section of the banks of the Grand Canal.
June 29 The Economic Council of Japan and China meets at Peking.
Cotton Placed Under Emergency Control
Japan enforces restrictions on the manufacture of cotton goods, regulations for controlling the sales prices of fibre goods, restrictions on the sales of cotton goods, and restrictions on the processing of cotton goods.
June 30 Japanese military planes attack Loyang.
Japan's Planning Council holds its initial plenary session.
Japan's foreign trade for the first half year of 1938 totals 1,287 million yen in exports and 1,493 million yen in imports, leaving an import excess of 195 million yen.
July
July 1 The Convention of Mongol Provinces, meeting at Houho, elects Prince Teh chairman of the Autonomous Government of Inner Mongolia.
It is announced that General Genrich Samoirovitch Lushkov, Far Eastern head of the O. G. P. U., escaped into Manchoukuo on June 13th to seek protection.
All municipal employment offices in Japan are placed under State management. Regulations for the mixed use of gasoline and alcohol are put into effect.
July 2 A new trade agreement is concluded between Japan and Australia.
July 4 Hukow, in southern Hunan Province, is captured. In an air raid on Nanchang, Japanese naval planes shoot down 51 Chinese machines.
July 4 France confirms its occupation of the Sisha Islands in the South China Sea.
July 5 The German military advisers to the Nationalist Government leave for home from Hankow.
A trade agreement is signed in Tokyo between Japan, Manchoukuo and Italy. Manchoukuo and Italy sign a treaty of amity, commerce and navigation in Tokyo.
July 6 Chiang Kai-shek publishes a statement for foreign consumption on the eve of the first anniversary of the outbreak of the China Affair.
July 7 Anti-Japanese elements resort to bomb-throwing in Shanghai on the occasion of the first anniversary of the China Affair.
Japan protests against the French occupation of the Sisha Islands.
An Imperial rescript is granted in Japan on the occasion of the first anniversary of the China Affair. The Cabinet issues injunctions to the entire nation concerning this rescript.
July 8 The appointment of H. I. H. Prince Tsunenori Takeda to an important post in the Japanese military garrison in Manchoukuo is announced.
The National Political Council of China resolves to defend Wuchang and Hankow to the last.
July 9 Japan suggests that third Powers withdraw their warships and other vessels from the district between Hukow and Hwangshihkang on the Yangtze River.
Regulations controlling the sales prices of commodities are put into force in Japan.
Changkufeng Occupied by Soviets
July 12 Intruding into Manchoukuoan territory across the border, Soviet troops occupy Changkufeng Hill.
July 14 General Yu Han-mou is appointed commander of the defences of South China.
Great Britain is reported to have decided to turn down Chiang Kaishek's
request for a loan of 20 million pounds sterling.
Japan and Manchoukuo protest to the Soviet Union regarding the Soviet intrusion into Manchoukuoan territory in the vicinity of Changkufeng.
Japan Resigns Olympic Sponsorship
July 15 The Japanese Cabinet decides to disapprove Tokyo's sponsorship of the 1940 Olympic Games and postpones the International Exposition scheduled to be held in Tokyo in 1940.
July 16 An official protest is lodged with the Soviet Union regarding the Changkufeng incident. The Soviet Union refuses to withdraw its troops.
July 19 The Japanese Cabinet decides to create a foreign exchange fund of 300 million yen in the Bank of Japan.
July 20 The Japanese Ambassador at Moscow, Mamoru Shigemitsu, makes vigorous representations to the Soviet Government regarding the intrusion of Soviet troops into Manchoukuo. Manchoukuo discontinues diplomatic negotiations with the Soviet Union regarding the same incident.
July 21 General Chen Cheng is appointed commander of the defences of Wuchang and Hankow.
July 24 Twenty military advisers and 300 air pilots arrived at Hankow from the Soviet Union.
The Japanese Foreign Minister, General Kazushige Ugaki, holds a conference with the British Ambassador in Tokyo, Sir Robert Craigie.
Kiukiang Falls
July 26 Kiukiang falls into Japanese hands. The walled town of Taihu in southern Kiangsu Province is captured.
July 27 The Nationalist Government removes its Foreign Office from Hankow to Chungking.
July 29 Japan inaugurates a new police system for preserving economic peace and order.
Changkufeng Recaptured
July 31 Japanese forces dislodge Soviet troops from Changkufeng and Shatsaofeng.
August
Aug. 1 Hsiusung is captured.
Japan enforces regulations controlling the distribution of leather, a law for the development of petroleum resources and a link system for rayon and pulp manufacture.
Aug. 2 Chinese troops destroy a section of the banks of the Yangtze River in its upper valley. Japanese forces capture Hwangmei in eastern Hupei.
Aug. 3 Japanese naval planes attack Hankow and shoot down 32 Chinese combat planes in the ensuing encounter.
Aug. 4 Japan proposes cessation of hostilities to the Soviet Union.
Truce at Changkufeng
Aug. 10 An agreement is reached between the Japanese Ambassador at Moscow and the Soviet Foreign Commissar providing for the immediate cessation of hostilities.
Aug. 11 A truce is declared by the Japanese and Soviet Commanders at Changkufeng.
Aug. 15 The East Asia conference on agriculture and forestry is held in Tokyo.
Aug. 16 A Hitler Jugend party arrives in Japan on a goodwill mission.
Aug. 19 The first conference of prefectural chiefs of economic police meets in Tokyo.
Aug. 21 Japanese troops capture Hsingtzu.
Ambassador Shigemitsu at Moscow proposes appointment of a commission for the demarcation of the Manchoukuoan-Soviet border.
Aug. 22 The State Council of Manchoukuo adopts a draft law for temporary control of capital. The Japanese
Foreign Office announces that Japan has protested to the Soviet Union against the forced closing of the Japanese consulates at Khabarovsk and Blagoveschensk.
Aug. 24 Juichang in northern Kiangsi falls into Japanese hands.
An ordinance restricting immediate employment of graduates from schools is put into force in Japan on the basis of the provisions of Article 6 of the National General Mobilization Law. Another ordinance is enforced requiring those engaged in the medical profession to declare their technical capabilities under the provisions of Article 21 of the said law.
Aug. 26 Leaders of the Nationalist Government hold an important conference at Chungking.
Aug. 28 The walled town of Liuan, in Anhwei Province, is occupied.
Aug. 29. Tushanchen, in Anhwei, is captured. The Cultural Council of East Asia holds its inaugural meeting at Peking.
September
Sept. 1 Reichsführer Hitler of Germany holds a conference with Konrad Henlein, head of the Sudeten Nazi Party of Czechoslovakia.
The East Asia Institute for Research is established in Tokyo.
An ordinance restricting supply of newsprint is enforced in Japan.
Sept. 3 Mahuiling, near Kuling, is captured.
Sept. 5 The Japanese Government notifies the British, American, German and Italian ambassadors in Tokyo that it will protect the vested rights and interests of third Powers in China.
Sept. 6 Japanese forces capture Kwangchi, a key point of the first defence line for Wuchang and Hankow.
Sept. 7 A large body of Japanese reinforcements lands at Tangku.
The Czech situation grows increasingly serious.
Sept. 10 A new radio broadcasting station is opened at Nanking.
Naotake Sato and Hachiro Arita are appointed Foreign Office Advisers, which posts have newly been created by the present Cabinet.
Sept. 11 Fuchinshan is captured.
Sept. 14 Matowchen falls into Japanese hands.
The Manchoukuoan-German trade agreement is officially signed at Hsinking.
Sept. 15 Visiting Germany by airplane, the British Prime Minister confers with Reichsführer Hitler on the Czech situation.
Sept. 16 Shangcheng is reduced.
A conference is opened between representatives of Japan and Peru in Tokyo to discuss trade questions.
Sept. 17 Wusueh, in Hupei Province, is occupied.
The Provisional Government of China announces several reforms effected in its organization.
The Council of the League of Nations adopts China's appeal for the invocation of Article 17 of the League Covenant and sends an invitation to Japan.
Sept. 20 Kwangshan is captured. A general outline of the organization of the Federal Committee of the Provisional and Renovation Governments of China is made public.
Sept. 21 The Japanese Cabinet decides to reject the recommendation of the League of Nations based on the invocation of Paragraph 1 of Article 17 of the League Covenant.
Sept. 22 The Federal Committee of the two new Governments of the Chinese Republic is inaugurated with appropriate ceremonies.
Reichsführer Hitler and Prime Minister Chamberlain hold their second conference on the Czech situation.
Japan replies to the League of Nations declining to accept the latter's
invitation.
The Bureau for the Encouragement of Savings of the Japanese Government announces that savings during the first eight months of 1938 totalled 4,744 million yen.
Sept. 26 President Roosevelt of the United States addresses personal telegrammes to the heads of the German and Czechoslovakian Governments.
Sept. 27 The Japanese War Department reorganizes its press section into an information bureau.
Sept. 28 The first Japanese air raid is conducted on Yunnan Province.
Reichsführer Hitler issues invitations for a Four-Power Conference.
Sept. 29 Japanese troops occupy Tienchiachen.
Ugaki Resigns
General Kazushige Ugaki, Foreign Minister and concurrently Overseas Minister, resigns from the Japanese Cabinet.
Sept. 30 Yuanchu, in Shansi Province, is captured.
Czech Issue Settled
An agreement is signed at the Four-Power Conference at Munich and the Czech problem is settled, with Czechoslovakia accepting this agreement.
In Japan, the Prime Minister is installed as Foreign Minister.
October
Oct. 1 The Japanese Four-Minister Conference adopts a general plan for the organization of a body to deal with the China problem.
German troops begin the entrance into Czechoslovakia.
The newly enacted store law goes into effect in Japan.
The Japan Gold Mining Promotion Company begins operations.
Oct. 3 Japan announces the withdrawal of its cooperation with all committees of the League of Nations.
Poland and Hungary set forth their demands for the settlement of the minority problem in Czechoslovakia.
In Japan, His Majesty the Emperor grants an Imperial message regarding work for the assistance and protection of soldiers and donates a sum of three million yen from his private purse.
Oct. 6 The United States makes representations to Japan regarding the security of her vested rights and interests in China.
Oct. 7 The Japanese Cabinet approves the plan to organize an Imperial foundation to be known as the Society for the Assistance and Protection of Soldiers on the basis of the recent Imperial donation.
Japanese Land at Bias Bay
Oct. 12 Japanese forces succeed in landing in South China at Bias Bay in face of the enemy; third Powers are notified of the military operations in South China. Sinyang on the Peking-Hankow Railway is occupied by Japanese troops.
Oct. 15 Waichow, in Kwangtung Province, is captured.
A direct freight service is opened between Japan and China.
Oct. 17 It is announced that 10,334 war dead are to be enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo at the special festival to be held on October 19.
Oct. 18 Yangsin is occupied.
Oct. 19 Poland signs a treaty of amity with Manchoukuo, thereby extending de facto recognition to the latter.
Prince Teh and several other Mongolian leaders arrive in Tokyo.
Oct. 20 Tayeh falls into Japanese hands.
Canton is Taken
Oct. 21 Japanese forces enter the city of Canton at 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 22 Japanese troops succeed in landing from the estuary of the Pearl
River, near Canton. The commander of the Japanese military forces in South China is officially announced to be Lieutenant-General Mikio Furusho, and that of the naval units in the same region to be Vice-Admiral Koichi Shiozawa. Warships and commercial vessels of third Powers on the Yangtze River in the vicinity of Hankow are advised to seek safety elsewhere. General Chen Cheng and other Chinese leaders for the defence of Hankow begin to leave the city.
Japan adopts a link system for rayon yarn contained in hosiery and cotton goods of miscellaneous descriptions.
Oct. 23 The British Navy refuses to follow the Japanese advice to evacuate the Yangtze River in the vicinity of Hankow.
Oct. 24 The British gunboat Sandpiper is accidentally damaged.
Oct. 25 Japanese troops capture a part of Hankow at 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 26 Wuchang is occupied.
Wuhan Cities Completely Occupied
Oct. 27 The three cities of Wuchang, Hankow and Hanyang are completely reduced by Japanese forces at 5:30 p.m. The walled city of Tean also falls into Japanese hands.
An informal economic conference is opened in Tokyo between Japan and Manchoukuo.
Oct. 28 Speaking at the Political Council of China, Chiang Kai-shek announces his determination to continue warfare against Japan.
Japan calls the attention of France to the assistance being given to the Chiang Kai-shek Régime.
New Appointments in Japanese Cabinet
Oct. 29 Hachiro Arita, former Foreign Minister, and Kamei Hatta are installed as Foreign Minister and Overseas Minister respectively in the Japanese Cabinet.
Oct. 31 France decides to forward her shipments of arms bound for the interior of China, which have been accumulating at Hongkong, to their destinations via Haiphong.
Chiang Kai-shek publishes an appeal to the entire Chinese nation.
November
Nov. 3 A ceremony is held in Hankow in celebration of the memorial day for the late Emperor Meiji in the presence of T.I.H. Princes Higashikuni and Kaya.
Chiang Kai-shek confers with Sir Archibald Kerr Clark Kerr, British Ambassador to China.
In Japan, the Government issues a statement elucidating future Japanese policy. Prince Konoe delivers a radio address on the same subject. Finance Minister Ikeda gives an interview to the press and discusses long-term economic control.
Nov. 7 The Japanese Foreign Minister notifies third Powers regarding the recent extension of war areas in China. The British, American and French ambassadors in Tokyo hand official notes to the Japanese Foreign Office in connection with the question of free navigation on the Yangtze River.
The inaugural meeting of shareholders of the North China Development Company and the Central China Promotion Company is held in Tokyo.
Nov. 8 The maritime customs at Canton are taken over by the Japanese.
Nov. 11 Yochow, in Hunan Province, falls into Japanese hands.
Nov. 15 Liang Hung-chih, president of the Executive Yuan of the Renovation Government of China, arrives in Japan on an official visit.