NFIDENTIAL
HONG KONG
TELELETTER
TOKYO
LELETTR REF NFR
0207OOZ APRIL 92
D TO TELELETTER FCO
יד
TAN
OM: S.E. BRADLEY, DEPUTY POLITICAL ADVISER, HONG KONG.
GRAHAM FRY, ESQ., HEAD OF CHANCERY, BE TOKYO.
H. LL DAVIES ESQ., HEAD OF FED, FCO.
RTIME CURRENCY AND JAPANESE REPARATIONS: MEETING WITH YOSHITO NGOKU.
I THOUGHT YOU WOULD WISH TO HAVE A FAIRLY FULL REPORT OF MY ETING WITH SENGOKU AND HIS (NUMEROUS) COLLEAGUES YESTERDAY. EY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN A GENERAL BRIEFING ON HONG KONG, EVEN SS IN OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA (WHICH IS MY JOB) BUT WENT RAIGHT TO THE DETAIL OF REPARATIONS AND THE MILITARY CURRENCY SUE. I HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO WRITE TO SENGOKU AFTER DOING SOME SEARCH BUT I SHOULD BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR VIEWS AND THOSE OF
NDON ON HOW THIS SHOULD BE HANDLED.
SENGOKU OPENED BY SAYING THE GROUP WERE CONCERNED AT THE TREMELY POOR BEHAVIOUR OF JAPAN TOWARDS THOSE IT HAD HARMED RING THE WAR, AND WERE DISMAYED AT THE CONTINUED TENDENCY OF E JAPANESE GOVERNMENT TO TRY AND SWEEP THE PAST UNDER THE
RPET RATHER THAN ALLOW THE JAPANESE PEOPLE TO FACE THE TRUTH
RESPOND DECENTLY. THE ISSUE THEY WERE PARTICULARLY CONCERNED
TH IN HONG KONG WAS THE LOSSES CAUSED TO PEOPLE DURING THE
PANESE OCCUPATION WHO WERE FORCED TO SELL GOODS AND PROVIDE
RVICES IN EXCHANGE FOR MILITARY YEN WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY BECAME RTHLESS. THEY HAD BEEN UNABLE TO GET ANY DETAILED INFORMATION
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE TIME FROM THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT: EY HOPED THAT THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT WOULD ASSIST THEM. THEY
O IDENTIFIED FILES IN THE PUBLIC RECORDS OFFICE HERE WHICH THEY
LIEVED WOULD CONTAIN INFORMATION VALUABLE TO THEIR
DERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER THESE WERE CONFIDENTIAL AND
O NOT BEEN RELEASED TO THEM. THEY HOPED WE WOULD BE ABLE TO DO
IN RESPONSE I SAID THAT HAVING SOME EXPERIENCE OF JAPAN MYSELF
1
PAGE
CONFIDENTIAL
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.