《李顿报告书》发表后国际联盟促使中日和解的尝试

The League of Nations’ Attempts to Promote Reconciliation between China and Japan after the Publication of the Lytton Report

《李顿报告书》发表后,国际联盟根据《国际联盟盟约》第十五条第三项,希望中日两国达成和解。十九国委员会制定了一份决议草案,规定和解工作以《李顿报告书》为基础,邀请美国和苏联成立委员会,与中日两国一起进行谈判,并明确指出不承认伪满洲国。中国愿意接受决议草案,要求和解谈判不损害中国对东北地区的主权,并希望国联从速解决争端。日本拒绝接受该草案,排斥第三国尤其是美、苏两国介入和解谈判,且不接受《李顿报告书》,要求修改草案中与维持并承认伪满相违背的内容。国联内部,以英法为首的大国从自身利益出发,企图以绥靖政策安抚日本,促使其接受国联的调解;一些小国则希望国联将日本作为侵略国进行判决与处置。起初,在大国的主导下,国联对日本一再让步。但日本政府采用"焦土外交"策略,坚持要求国联完全采纳其对决议草案的修改意见。国联判断日本无意和解,态度转向强硬,询问日本是否会坚持伪满独立。日方作出肯定回答,最终使国联放弃和解工作。国联主导下的中日和解,是在最低限度维持自身权威的前提下,寻求对日本妥协方案的过程。日本坚持既定侵华政策,破坏集体安全机制的根本原则,导致和解工作归于失败。

After the publication of the Lytton Report,the League of Nations,in accordance with Article 15,Item 3 of the Covenant of the League of Nations,expected that China and Japan would reach reconciliation.The Nineteen States Committee formulated a draft resolution stipulating that the mediation work,based on the Lytton Report,should invite the United States and the Soviet Union to set up a committee to negotiate with China and Japan.The draft clearly stated that the puppet Manchukuo would not be recognized.China was willing to accept the draft resolution,requiring that settlement negotiations not damage China’s sovereignty over the Northeast,and expected the League of Nations to resolve the dispute quickly.Japan refused to accept the draft,excluded third countries,especially the United States and the Soviet Union,from participating in the settlement negotiations,and rejected the Lytton Report,requiring to amend the contents in the draft that contrary to the maintenance and recognition of puppet Manchukuo.Within the League of Nations,the big powers led by Britain and France,from their own interests,attempted to appease Japan with appeasement policies and encouraged it to accept the mediation of the League of Nations.But the small countries hoped that the League of Nations adjudicate Japan and dispose of it as an invading country.At first,under the leadership of the big powers,the League of Nations made repeated concessions to Japan.But the Japanese government adopted"the scorched-earth diplomacy"strategy and insisted on the League of Nations to fully adopt its amendments to the draft resolution.The League of Nations judged that Japan had no intention of reconciliation,and its attitude turned tough,asking whether Japan would maintain puppet Manchukuo’s independence.The Japanese side made an affirmative answer,eventually causing the League of Nations to give up the mediation work.The Sino-Japan reconciliation under the leadership of the League of Nations was a process of seeking a compromise with Japan on the premise of maintaining its own authority to a minimum extent.Japan maintained its established policy of invading China and destructed the fundamental principle of the collective security mechanism,leading to the failure of the mediation work.