CO129-579-10 Sino-Japanese War- quarterly reports of Japanese activities 25-1-1939 - 1-2-1940 — Page 19

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BOARD is going to double its capital with the object

of coming in on the developing of South China industries.

Economic investigators are also at work in Hong Kong and

Shinichiro TODA of the South China Investigation

Association of Tokyo is now living here in Chinese style

and assisted by a Chinese. TODA speaks fluent Cantonese

and when questioned as to the nature of his business says

he watches newspaper reports and sends reports on

economical problems to his Shanghai office, which is

known as YAMASAKI'S ECONOMIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE.

Also

an alleged Chinese company sending trade questionnaires

to all local firms with view, it says, to publishing a

new local trade directory covering Chinese firms, is

discovered to be founded and controlled by Japanese

interests but of the 10,000 forms sent out there is little

response from local Chinese hongs who are debating whether

it is the work of anti-Japanese "salvation" societies or

preliminary income tax investigation.

There is also

Humiharu TOKUHIRO, who has an office here as correspondent

of the ORIENTAL ECONOMIST.

Yakiti SUITU, President of the Bank of TAIWAN (Formosa)

visited Hong Kong during the month with his chief intelligence agent, and Kitaro CHIHARA, the representative

in Hong Kong of the Formosa Government went off to Canton as soon as the President arrived here, and Yasuhiro MORII

financial clerk of the Formosa Government, passed through

Hong Kong at the latter end of the month en route from

Canton to Japan, and Chuichi OHASHI, distinguished

diplomat, now technical expert of the China Affairs Board, completed his investigations down here and went off

to Hoihow on 11.12.39, calling himself adviser of the

ASIA DEVELOPMENT BOARD. Foreign Ministry officials So

YASUKAWA and Takeshi MATSUMURA, stationed in Canton,

made a flying visit to Hong Kong 6.12.39. Manchukuo