Enclosure No.1.
26
Report on Anti-Japanese Disturbances
in Hong Kong September 23rd. to 28th. 1931.
1.
There were no signs of unrest or anti-Japanese
manifestations in any quarter of Hong Kong until the evening
of Wednesday September 23rd. This day had been decreed by the
Chinese Government at Nanking as a Day of Humiliation and
line
following the course of action adopted in Canton on such
occasions a number of local Chinese firms and shops flew flags
at half mast during the day. The number of such flags was
not very large and the general public did not appear to take
the occasion very seriously. However at about seven o'clock
that evening trouble broke out in Wanchai, the District of
Victoria in which the bulk of the Japanese shops are situated.
A large crowd gathered as usual on the vacant portion of the
Fraya East Reclamation situated between O'Brien and Luard
Roads and at 7.45 p.m. they made a simultaneous attack on
eight Japanese owned shops in Johnston Road close by. The
shops were stoned and the shop windows smashed. Police
promptly turned out from the Eastern Division Station which
was not far distant, the Emergency Unit was also called out
from Central and the crowd was dispersed without trouble.
One or two arrests were made. There were no disturbances
elsewhere in the Colony and by 10 p.m. all was quiet.
On Thursday the 24th. September there were no
signs of further trouble during the day but in the evening
a large crowd again collected in the Eastern District on the
vacant ground between O'Brien and Luard Roads. In accordance
with instructions issued Police picquets cleared this area
and there was some stone throwing which resulted in the
arrest or ten persons for disorderly conduct. There were
no attacks on Japanese shops and the crowd seemed to direct their energies against the Police rather than against the
2.