WAR IN CHINA: Death and Conquest

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Of China's 4,480,992 square miles Japanese forces took: 2,075 inthe last week 10,465 in the last month 145,787 in the last year 645,787 since 1931

¶Some 100,000 Chinese troops deployed under orders to defend Hangchow, 100 miles southwest of Shanghai, scattered in headlong flight last week and that great city fell to the Japanese—the sixth Chinese provincial capital taken since the present war began last July.

¶Japan's new puppet Chinese Government at Peking (TIME, Dec. 27) paid $116,000 to the Imperial Japanese Government last week, described this as the first installment of $348,000 which Tokyo is collecting as "indemnity" for the killing of some 200 Japanese by Chinese at Tung-chow.

¶On the same scale of indemnity Japan would owe the U. S. $5,220 for the three men killed in the sinking of the Panay, but the U. S. settled for an apology, promise of indemnity and guarantee against future attack (see p. 7). No Japanese newspaper printed the text of the apology, and the divine Emperor Hirohito—who did not feel that politeness required him to reply to President Roosevelt's personal protest—opened the Imperial Diet with a Speech from the Throne which omitted mention of the Panay. "We feel greatly gratified to see relations between Japan and her treaty powers growing in friendship and cordiality" read His Imperial Majesty. "Our officers and men, winning every battle, are enhancing their military prestige, both at home and abroad."

¶Although the Chinese authorities had executed 240 Chinese looters, Chinese mobs had destroyed $100,000,000 of Japanese property in Tsingtao by last week when Japanese forces finally crossed the Yellow River, besieged Tsinan, the capital of Shantung.

¶In Japan a schoolhouse at Nishimuro was packjammed with villagers watching a film of Japanese troops advancing in China when the building caught fire last week. Killed were 21 children and 51 adults.

¶At Shanghai veteran correspondents reported scenes of "filth, disease, hunger and madness" among the 1,000,000 Chinese refugees from battle areas. In a single theatre 14,000 have been living like vermin for weeks. Biological processes continued: among the 1,000,000 refugees a child was born every minute, there was a death every three minutes, and twelve mothers died in childbirth every hour.

Dr. Sun Fo, son of China's late sainted Dr. Sun Yatsen, nephew by marriage to the Man & Wife of the Year (see p. 12), became last week the first prominent Chinese Government official to attempt to leave China since the Japanese captured Nanking (TIME, Dec. 27). Boarding an airplane at Hankow, Son Sun gave out that he was flying to Hong Kong, would thence speed to Europe on a trip including Moscow. Meanwhile Communist leaders in China were loudly demanding the resignation of various prominent members of the Government which has had to flee Nanking and disperse itself in various Chinese cities (TIME, Nov. 29). The Reds had not yet asked that the Man of the Year resign, and presumably Son Sun wants to see Joseph Stalin about China's crucial future.