42
QUARTERLY SUMMARY OF JAPANESE ACTIVITIES.
FOURTH QUARTER 1938.
G
During the quarter, the Japanese Consul-General
has been changed and the staff has increased.
The new
Consul-General was lately chief of one of the intelligence
branches of the Foreign office and the rest of his service
has been spent in England and China. A Japanese claiming
to be a Vice-Consul at Shanghai, but not mentioned in Consular
lists, is making monthly visits to Hong Kong for "inspection
and sightseeing" and is believed to be a Consular safe-hand
messenger. Following the Japanese occupation of Canton 21.10.38
some of the Hong Kong Consular staff proceeded to Canton and
joined the ex Amoy Consul-General, OKAZAKI, in re-opening the
Japanese Consulate at Canton 3.11.38. On 24.11.38, OKAZAKI
flew to Tokyo to report and whilst he was away the Japanese
South China Expeditionary Force trekked to the British border
to show the flag there on 26.11.38 which move was preceded
by the arrival in Hong Kong of Japanese newspaper chiefs who
returned to their bases when the Japanese troops later withdrew
from the border. On 30.11.38 at the invitation of the Japanese
Consulate at Hong Kong, a party of local Japanese and Formosan
businessmen and "developers" left for Canton via Formosa to
re-open Japanese business houses in Canton, and according to
Japanese sources there are now 700 Japanese merchants and
civil officials in Canton. The Japanese Consulate at Hong Kong
is urging Chinese to return to Canton, but is charging $10.00
for the necessary pass in an effort to prevent the influx of
undesirables. The Hong Kong Japanese community has sent
three Japanese representatives to comfort the Japanese troops
in Canton. There was considerable movement of Japanese
newspapermen in South China during the quarter and a number
were reported to have been expelled from Indo-China on various