"This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned
to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.
16
From CHINA.
Decypher.
r. Howe (Shanghai).
December 22nd 1957.
D.
Wireless.
R.
5.50 p.m.
December 25rd 1957.
December 23rd 1957.
No.766.
260
Tokyo telegram o.165.
Latsumoto has represented to me that strong anti-British feeling in Japan is based on conviction that His lajesty's Government are (a) supplying China with bulk of imports of munitions thus enabling her to continue grp. undec.] (b) giving financial support to the Central Government. This fecling
is, he says, being further stimulated by right wing and
extreme militarist elements in order to weaken influence of the
more liberal statesmen who surround the mperor and he has
suggested that it might be useful in counteracting these measures if His Majesty's ..mbassador at Tokyo would speak personally to Prince Konaya in regard to (a) and (b) pointing out that there is no substantial ground for (a) and that any support under (b) is for general benefit of all foreign
communities with commercial and financial interests in China
and is not being specifically extended to Chinese Government.
further suggestion was that a letter be sent to Prince Chichibu by a member of our Royal Family dealing with these
questions. See my immediately following telegram.
Addressed to Foreign Office No.766 of December 22nd,
repeated to Tokyo Saving Peking, copies to Financial Adviser
and Commercial Counsellor.