30
Manoeuvres there/
5.
A matter which has caused a good deal of interest in local
newspaper circles is the reported purchase of a large block
of offices in the city by ETO, proprietor and publisher
of the "HONGKONG NIPPO", for the purpose of publishing a
newspaper in English which will circulate throughout the Far
East as well as in Australia and the South Seus. ato, who
has only been proprietor of the "NIPPO" for about one year,
was formerly head of the Political Department of the Taiwan
(or Formosa) Nichi Nichi. It is reported that thisnew
English paper which he is to publish in Hongkong is to be subsidised by funds from the Japanese Foreign Office and Formosan
Government for pro-Japanese propaganda purpose and to illustrate
the present Japanese viewpoint to foreigners
6.
During the past month a total of 24 Dobun College Students
from Shanghai, composed of five different parties, visited Hongkong
as part of an "educational and sightseeingtour".
also included Formosa and Canton.
Taler itinerary
The stay of each party was
seldom longer than a few days. Taey were all kept under observa-
tion but did nothing of interest apart from visiting a few of the
main Japanese establishments in the Colony and local beauty spots.
Their College, which is again functioning in Shanghai, is said to
be a Japanese Government language School where likely students are
trained to become intelligence officers for all branches of the
Government Service and these "educational" and "sightseeing" tours
are considered to be part of their training, usually taken during t
the summer vacation. Quite a few of those whom we know to have bee
former Dobun College students, have later appeared in Hongkong work
-ing for such suspect organisation as the South Manchuria Railway,
Domei News Agancy, Formosan Development Co., etc. The Consulate
staff also includes a number of former Dobun students.
lk
12.7.39.
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