THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
94
FAR EASTERN (JAPAN).
CONFIDENTIAL.
July 20, 1939.
SECTION 1.
[F 7589/874/23]
(No. 441.)
Sir R. Craigie to Viscount Halifax.—(Received July 20.)
Copy No. 132
HIS Majesty's representative at Tokyo presents his compliments to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and, with reference to Tokyo despatch No. 377 of the 18th May, 1939, has the honour to transmit to him a copy of Political Diary No. 5 for May 1939.
Tokyo, June 14, 1939.
Enclosure.
Political Diary No. 5, for May 1939.
(This Diary is a brief and informal review of current topics. Although it is largely based on extracts from the Japanese press and is not in the nature of a considered report, the Diary should be treated as confidential and should not be publicly quoted or reproduced.)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
United Kingdom: British Shipping.
158. On the 2nd May His Majesty's Ambassador informed the Vice- Minister for Foreign Affairs of further details regarding the detention of the steamship Sagres (see paragraph 124 of political diary for April) which had come to light since his earlier representations on the 22nd April, and again urged strongly that the ship should be released and measures taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
159. On the 24th May the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship Ranpura was stopped when about 1 mile outside the territorial waters of Hong Kong by a Japanese warship, which fired shots across her bow and landed a party on board who, however, beat a retreat on the approach of one of His Majesty's destroyers from Hong Kong. On the following day His Majesty's Ambassador made representations in support of the strong protest made to the Japanese naval authorities by the Commander-in-chief, China, and when the naval attaché to His Majesty's Embassy was subsequently informed that the incident had been due to doubt regarding the Ranpura's nationality, the Japanese Government were requested to give a more suitable reason for the occurrence.
160. On the 26th May Mr. R. A. Butler stated in the House of Commons that the British Government attached serious importance to the question of the stopping of British shipping by the Japanese forces off the coast of China, and were considering the protection of merchant vessels by means of warships.
Restrictions on British Shipping in the Lower Yangtze Delta.
161. On the 24th May the Prime Minister stated in the House of Commons that there had recently been a marked intensification of interference with British shipping in the Lower Yangtze Delta, and that His Majesty's Government were making representations on the subject to the Japanese Government.
Central China Railway Company.
162. On the 2nd May Sir Robert Craigie drew the attention of the Japanese Government to the reported inauguration of a Central China Railway Company
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