POLITICAL STRATEGY
PRIOR TO OUTBREAK OF WAR

PART I

PREPARED BY
MILITARY HISTORY SECTION
HEADQUARTERS, ARMY FORCES FAR EAST

DISTRIBUTED BY
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Japanese Monograph
No. 144

TABLE OF CONTENTS

                                                            Page No.
Preface/Foreword

Chapter I   Manchurian Incident                                   1

            Situation Prior to the Manchurian Incident            1

            Outbreak of the Manchurian Incident                   2

            Progress of the Manchurian Incident                   5

Chapter II  China Incident                                        9

            Primary Causes of China Incident                      9

            Outbreak and Expansion of the China Incident         13

            Progress of the China Incident                       14

               First Year of the China Incident (1937)           14

            Japanese National Policy Prior to Outbreak           16
            of China Incident

            Policies of Central Army and Navy Authori-           16
            ties of Japan at Outbreak of the China Incident

            Attitude of Chinese Authorities at the               17
            Outbreak of the Conflict

            Diplomatic negotiations between Japan and            18
            China

            Measures taken by the Japanese Navy before           21
            the Shanghai Incident

            Evacuation of residents from the Yangtze             23
            River area

            Evacuation of Japanese residents in South            25
            China

            Navy Operations                                      25

            Shanghai Incident                                    28

               Situation on the Eve of the Incident              28
 
            War Preparations by the Japanese Navy                31

            The Sinking of the USS Panay                         32

Chapter III Second Year of the China Incident (1938)             34

            Japanese Navy Policy for China Incident,             37
            May 1938

            National Policy Toward during and after              38
            October 1938


            Military Operations against China during 1938        39

               The battle for Hsu-Chou                           39

               Hankow Operation (Yangtze Upstream Operation)     40

               Canton Operation                                  41

               Strategic and Political Achievements              42

Chapter IV  Third Year of the China Incident (1939)              44

            Operations against China during 1939                 45

               General Outline of Operations                     45

               Hainan Island Operation (10 February 1939)        46

            Nomonhan Incident (May - August 1939)                47

            Political Relations with China during                49
            the Third Year of the China Incident

            Policy for Readjusting Sino-Japanese Relationship    49

               Japan's Political Moves for the Estab-            51
               lishment of the Wang Ching-wei Regime
               (New Central Government)

            Abrogation of the American-Japanese                  53
            Commerce Navigation Treaty (26 July 1939)

 APPENDICES 

Appendix No 1  Hirota Cabinet's Nation and Foreign Policies
               (Informally reported to the Emperor on 15
               August 1936)
Appendix No 2  Hayashi Cabinet's China Policy and Guidance
               Principles for North China

  Appendix No 3  Policies Formulated by Japanese Army Authori-
               ties on 8 July 1937

Appendix No 4  The Policies Formulated by Japanese Navy
               Authorities on 8 July 1937

Appendix No 5  China Policy of the Japanese Government as
               reported to and approved by the Emperor on
               11 July 1937

Appendix No 6  Gist of statement made by Chiang Kai-shek on
               17 July 1937 at Lushan

Appendix No 7  Agreement between the Army and the Navy Gen-
               eral Staffs on Operations in North China
               (11 July 1937)

Appendix No 8  Confidential Instructions Concerning Troop
               Commitments for Operations against China
               (to be circulated informally as a tentative
               plan of the Supreme Command)

Appendix No 9  Operational Plans of the Third Fleet
               (29 July 1937)

Appendix No 10 Imperial General Headquarters Navy Order No 13

Appendix No 11 Fundamental Policy to deal with the China
               Incident (Decided at the Council in the
               Imperial Presence on 11 January 1938)

Appendix No 12 Decisions Reached at the Five Ministers'
               Conference (24 June to 19 July 1938)

Appendix No 13 Request from Wang Chao-ming Concerning Im-
               plementation of the Principle of Respecting
               the Sovereignty of China (October - November 1939)