The notorious Section V demands, by contrast, were a claim to hegemony over the central administration in Beijing, its army and financial administration, that would have given Japan rights superior to all other powers throughout China.19 Because they challenged all the interested powers, the Section V demands were bound to be controversial in the West. But what no one in Japan, nor even amongst President Yuan’s inner circle in Beijing, had reckoned with was the patriotic indignation of the Chinese public.
