Cfidential.
Copy.
BRITISH EMBASSY,
TOKYO.
26th June 1925.
し
Sir,
I have the honour to inform you that as a result of
enquiries which I caused to be made on receiving your
despatch No. 2538/1922, regarding the alleged participation
in the drug traffic of Mr. Toshiro Saito, I have been
furnished with the following particulars.
Mr. Saito, who is a member of the House of Representatives
for Tochigi Prefecture, from which part of Japan he himself
comes, was formerly in the employment of Messrs. Abe Kobei &
Co., a well known Japanese firm, which failed some years ago.
He succeeded during the war in amassing a considerable sum of
money and, after severing his connection with the above firm was
interested together with another ex-employee of Messrs. Abe Kobei,
named Yano, in establishing the Teikoku Jinso Hiryo Kabushiki
Kaisha (Imperial Artificial Manure Company). He has recently,
however, left this Company of which I understand he was a
Director, and is now in business on his own account as a
fertiliser merchant. His office address is given as Nomura
Building, Sakai-suji, Higashiku, Osaka, while his private
address is No. 1 of 123, Abeno Oaza Tennoji, Osaka.
The above information has been obtained from trustworthy
sources and may, I think, be taken as correct as far as it
goes. There is nothing, however, that would lead one to
suspect lir. Saito of being in any way connected with the
traffic in drugs. At the same time it is perhaps significant
that I have received no communication from the Japanese
Linistry of Foreign Affairs in regard to Mr. Saito's temporary
detention at Hongkong.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your Excellency's obedient servant,
(Sgd)
Charles Eliot.