Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, April 4 – 10, 1940

April 4, 1940: Japan warns Britain it may take action if Royal Navy seeks to extend blockade of Germany to waters nears its shores, for example shipments arriving at Vladivostok

April 5, 1940: Collaborationist Chinese regime praises Japan for pledge to give up special privileges in Shanghai and other cities, juxtaposing it with the insistence of Britain and other western countries to hang on to special rights. Photo shows British troops in Shanghai

April 6, 1940: Reports emerge that General Song Zheyuan, pictured above, has died. Song, a former warlord, was commander of Chinese troops at Marco Polo Bridge at start of war with Japan

April 7, 1940: China says Japanese Navy is setting up base on Hainan Island to facilitate operations in the Pacific

April 8, 1940: US Methodist Church, opposing isolationists, say attempt to avoid war at any cost may be immoral and a violation of American principles

April 9, 1940: Japanese and Chinese diplomacy in Scandinavia is thrown into turmoil as Germany launches surprise invasion of Norway and Denmark

April 10, 1940: Japanese War Minister Hata Shunroku, left, calls for an expansion of the nation’s military capability amid the insecure international environment

Categories: War

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