He–Umezu Agreement

The He-Umezu Agreement (梅津・何応欽協定, Umezu-Ka Okin Kyōtei^?) (Chinese: 何梅协定); was a secret agreement between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China concluded on 10 June 1935, 2 years prior to the outbreak of general hostilities in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Since 1931, Japan had been fabricating numerous incidents and skirmishes, and in the process, violating Chinese sovereignty. The Tanggu Truce established a demilitarized zone between Japanese-occupied territories and northern China in 1933, but conflict continued unabated via proxy armies in Inner Mongolia. However, with the appointment of Kōki Hirota as Foreign Minister of Japan, the Japanese civilian government attempted to improve Sino-Japanese relations, and on 22 January 1935, Japan announced a policy of non-aggression against China. In response, Wang Jingwei of the Chinese government announced a suspension of the Chinese boycott of Japanese goods, and the two countries agreed to upgrade relations to the ambassadorial level. However, these 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 Takashi Sakai, Chief of Staff of the Japanese China Garrison Army based in Tianjin, acting on the pretext that two pro-Japanese heads of a local news service had been assassinated, raised a formal protest to Kuomintang General He Yingqin, Acting Chairman of the Peiping National Military Council. The Japanese Army demanded that:

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