CO129-457 - Public Offices - 1919 — Page 295

k.Q.

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

C. [MARCH 4.]

22491 SECTION 1.

[46023]

No. 1.

RES

RE 14 PR 19

Sir C. Greene to Earl Curzon.--(Received March

(N. 35. Commercial.) My Lord,

Tokyo, February 10, 1919. THE revival in the foreign press in China ports of discussion on the subject of the illicit trade in narcotics in that country and the accusations which have been openly directed against Japan in connection with her share in it have aroused but little interest in the vernacular press in this country, the only papers which have devoted any attention to the question being the "Hochi" and the Miyako." The former denies that the Japanese Government or important companies are interested and characterises accusations of this nature as falsehoods spread abroad by interested parties who wish to profit by alienating China and Japan; but the Miyako is not so sure of its ground, appears, indeed, on the contrary to think that there may be be some truth in these allegations and recommends the matter to the serious atten- tion of the authorities, since they constitute, if true, a serious blot upon Japan's bonour and will do incalculable harm to Japan's credit and prestige abroad.

C

If the question has received inadequate attention in the Japanese press it has certainly not suffered the same treatment in the foreign, for, in addition to a vigor ous leader (not enclosed) on the subject in The Japan Chronicle," there have appeared at intervals during the past month lengthy articles in "The Japan Advertiser either reproducing statements copied from other sources or giving accounts of interviews with Japanese drug experts, official and private.

27

The majority of the accusations made by the foreign press in China in this new campaign are already familiar to everyone who has followed the growth of this trade in poisonous drugs; but some are more or less new. It is, for instance, asserted that:—

1. The seat of the morphia industry has been transferred to Japan, where the drug is now manufactured;

2. The Chinese Customs Service is not allowed to inspect parcels sent to Japanese Post Offices in China;

3. The Japanese authorities are interested either officially or unofficially in the traffic, and that

4. At Tsingtau opium is being imported and sent into the interior in boxes bearing the mark military stores, which exempts them from Customs examination. Boxes so stamped bave, it is asserted, been frequently seen in drug stores along the Shantung Railway.

Colour is lent to the first accusation by the fact that there are now, as I had the honour to inform your Lordship in my despatch No. 3, Commercial, of the 4th January, two or three firms in Japan making morphia. Moreover, during the course of last year, His Majesty's Consul at Amoy and His Majesty's Consul- General at Shanghai reported the seizure of morphia of Japanese manufacture by the Chinese Maritime Customs. I question, however, if the quantity at present made in Japan is very considerable.

With regard to the second assertion, it is correct, as far as the leased territory of the Liaotung Peninsula is concerned, that the Chinese Maritime Customs have no control over parcels entering Dairen through the Japanese Post Office. This is one of the reasons given by the Commissioner of Customs for his inability to supply His Majesty's Consul at that port with satisfactory statistics of the imports of morphia and cocaine.

The third accusation was till recently probably not far removed from the truth. Now, however, that the attention of the public has become focussed on this trade measures will perhaps be taken by Japan to free her officials from this stigma. It is certainly true, as a Japanese correspondent to the "Miyako" insinuates, that the Mayor of Dairen amassed a big fortune as farmer of the opium monopoly: but * subtle difference of degree, if not of kind, exists from the point of view of morality between a business of this nature and morphia smuggling, and it may be urged for what it is worth that the revenue from the monopoly is at least devoted to useful purposes.

[2877 d-1]

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