TRANSLATION.
No. 47
Confidential
From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
51
MEMORANDUM.
The Imperial Ministry for Foreign Affärs have
the honour to acknowledge receipt of His Britannic Majesty's
Embassy's memorandum of the 13th January regarding the case
when Chinese fishing boats were sunk by a patrol vessel of
the Imperial Navy to the south of Chilang Point on the 22nd
September last.
But, besides the fact that the Imperial
Government have from the outset regarded this case as a
purely Sino-Japanese affair with which Third Powers have no
concern, the patrol vessel directly connected with the
incident has continued in the performance of its function in
the blockade of the China Coast and therefore the true facts
of the details of the case have not been investigated from
the persons directly concerned, However, in view of the
receipt of His Majesty's Embassy's memorandum, the opportunity
of the recent return to Japan of the vessel in question has
been taken to re-open more detailed investigations.
Ministry have the honour to enclose a copy of the report of
these investigations addressed by the Vice-Minister of Marine
to the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and to ctate the
views of the Imperial Japanese Government regarding this case,
which are as follows:
1
The
(1) When the Chinese junks saw the patrol vessel of
the Imperial Navy approaching, they illegally
opened fire upon her with rifles.
The patrol
vessel was therefore compelled to reply with
force and finally sank the junks.
This was no
more than a natural act of self-defence,
(2)/