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 of communication which still exist between China Proper and the Chinese forces in Manchuria run through Jehol, and the fear of a Japanese attack in this province, which is already claimed as part of the territory of "Manchukuo", is not unreasonable. Its imminence is freely discussed in the Japanese Press.

The Japanese version of the recent events submitted to the Commission by the Japanese Assessor is as follows:

An official attached to the Kwantung Army Headquarters named Ishimoto was kidnapped by Chinese "volunteers" on July 17th from a train travelling between Peipiao and Chinchow, within the boundaries of the Province of Jehol. A small detachment of Japanese infantry with light artillery made an immediate attempt to rescue him, but failed in their purpose, and the result was the occupation of a village on the frontier of Jehol by Japanese troops.

During the latter part of July and in August, Japanese aeroplanes demonstrated several times over this part of Jehol and dropped some bombs, but "uninhabited areas outside the villages' were carefully selected. On August 19th, a Japanese staff officer was sent to Nanling, a small town situated between Peipiao and the provincial boundary to negotiate for the release of Mr. Ishimoto. On his return journey with a small infantry detachment, he was fired upon. In self-defence the fire was returned and, on the arrival of another infantry detachment, Nanling was occupied but evacuated on the following day.

Through the Chinese Assessor, extracts were submitted to the Commission from the reports of General Tang Yu-ling, the Governor of the Province of Jehol. These reports claim that fighting on a much larger scale took place, and that a Chinese battalion of railway guards was in action against a superior number of Japanese infantry, supported by two armoured trains. They claim that the bombing referred to by the Japanese was directed against Chaoyang, one of the larger towns in that region, and that, as a result, 30 casualties were caused among both military and civilians. The Japanese offensive was resumed on August 10th, when an armoured train attacked Nanling.

The information given by the Japanese Assessor concludes by stating that, although the maintenance of order in Jehol is "a matter of internal policy for Manchukuo, Japan cannot be indifferent to the situation in that region in view of the important role played by Japan in the maintenance of peace and order in Manchuria and Mongolia, and that any disorders in Jehol would immediately produce very serious repercussions throughout Manchuria and Mongolia". General Tang Yu-ling concludes his report by stating that all possible measures were being taken to offer effective resistance should the Japanese attacks be renewed.

From these communications, it seems that an extension of the area of conflict in this region is a contingency which must be reckoned with.

Although the main Chinese Army was withdrawn within the Great Wall at the end of 1931, the Japanese continued to meet with opposition of an irregular kind in different parts of Manchuria. There have been no further battles such as occurred on the Nonni River, but fighting has been constant and widely dispersed. It has been the practice of the Japanese to describe indiscriminately as "bandits" all the forces now opposed to them. There are, in fact, apart from bandits, two distinct categories of organised resistance to the Japanese troops or to those of "Manchukuo"—namely, the regular and irregular Chinese troops. It is extremely difficult to estimate the number of these two and, as the Commission was not able to meet any of the Chinese Generals still in the field, it is necessary to make reservations with regard to the reliability of the information given below. Chinese authorities are naturally reluctant to give away exact information about such troops as are still offering resistance to the Japanese in Manchuria.