He–Umezu Agreement
The He-Umezu Agreement (梅津・何應欽協定, Umezu-Ka Okin Kyōtei) (Chinese: 何梅協定) was a secret agreement between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China that was concluded on 10 June 1935, two years prior to the outbreak of general hostilities during the Second Sino-Japanese War.[1]
Background
Since 1931, Japan had been provoking numerous incidents and violating Chinese sovereignty. The
However, the improved relations between Japan and China were counter to the aims of the Japanese Kwantung Army for further territorial expansion.
On 29 May 1935, General
On 30 May, Japanese armored forces paraded in front of the Chinese government offices in a show of force. On 4 June, Sakai repeated his demands and threatened drastic action if the demands were not fully accepted. However, on 5 June, additional demands were added:
- The replacement of Tianjin Mayor Chang Ting-ngo and Chief of Police Lee Chun-hsiang and the relief of Commander of the 3rd Military Police Regiment Chiang Hsiao-hsien and Director of the Political Training Department Ts'eng Kwang-ching.
- The withdrawal of the Kuomintang military force from Hebei.
- The disbarment of all anti-Japanese organizations throughout China, especially the Blue Shirts Society
- The dealing with the assassins of the heads of pro-Japanese news services to be apprehended, with compensation to be paid to the victims' families
On 7 June, forward units of the Kwantung Army moved to the front lines at the
Not prepared at the time to go to war with Japan since his forces were still tied down in a campaign to exterminate the
Aftermath
The agreement gave Japan virtual control over the Hebei Province under the aegis of the
References
- ISSN 0021-9118.
- ^ Long-hsuen Hsu; Ming-kai Chang (1972). History of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Taipei, Taiwan: Chung Wu Publishing Co. pp. 161–162.
- ISBN 978-0-520-92763-6.