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settlement. If China received large supplies of arms
and ammunition from abroad her antagonism to Japan would
be strengthened and the conflict prolonged and intensified.
The Japanese Government hoped, therefore, that the
Governments of third Powers would refrain as far as possible
from doing anything likely to encourage China in this
direction. And finally, the Japanese Government did not
contemplate for the time being any action to prevent the
importation of arms and ammunition into China by foreign
vessels, but future developments might compel them to
devise more effective and suitable measures to stop all
importation of arms and ammunition into China" (see tele-
gram from Tokyo to the Foreign Office No.333 of the
31st August).
30. On the 5th September the embargo zone was extended to
cover the whole Chinese coastline from Chinwangtao in the
north to the Indo-China frontier in the south, with the
exception of Tsingtao and "leased territories of third Powers."
In making this announcement the Japanese Government again
declared that they would respect the "peaceful commerce of
third Powers," with which they had no intention of interfering.
The only points on the Chinese coast to which the embargo
does not extend are, accordingly, Tsingtao, Hong Kong, Macao
and Kwangchowan.
The exclusion of Tsingtao is at first
sight somewhat surprising;
the Japanese explain that it is
due to their desire at any cost to avoid any cause of friction
which might lead to hostilities in that area; in any case it
is of no practical importance.
31. On the 1st September the aide-de-camp to the Minister
of Marine informed the naval attaché to His Majesty's Embassy
in Tokyo that Japan was concerned over the fact that Hong Kong
was being used as an entrepôt for the import of munitions for
the