CO129-498-14 Illicit traffic in opium and drugs 4-12-1925 - 30-11-1926 — Page 93

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MEMORANDUM.

The Imperial Ministry for Foreign Affairs have received His Majesty's Embassy's Memorandum, dated September 29th 1925, on the subject of the smuggling of prohibited goods at Hongkong. The Imperial Ministry for Foreign Affairs have made

investigations into this matter in various quarters, and as a result they have definitely ascertained that the correspondence

enclosed in the abovementioned Memorandum consists of letters

exchanged between the parties concerned for the purpose of concluding a certain contract for the mining of minerals in the Paracel Islands, negotiations for which were in progress at that

time, and that the letters have no reference whatever to the

smuggling of morphine etc.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs have the honour to add

here that Mr. Shimidzu, the Acting Japanese Consul-General at

Canton did no more than undertake, on behalf of Mr. Saito, a

Member of the House of Representatives, the role of intermediary

in connection with the making of the above contract and in the

capacity of the resident Imperial Consular Official.

Further, with regard to Mr. Acting Consul-General

Shimidzu's connection with this case, the Imperial Ministry for

Foreign Affairs venture to request the attention of His Majesty's

Embassy, in addition, to the circumstances set forth in the

enclosure.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

April 29th, 1926.