CO129-579-10 Sino-Japanese War- quarterly reports of Japanese activities 25-1-1939 - 1-2-1940 — Page 43

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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