TNAG-2400-FCO40-3487-Political-relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Japan-1992 — Page 54

11 March 1992

HKA

Ms Saladers.

In Stifre

020/2

Misafla

British Embassy

Tokyo

1

BY FAX

Stephen Bradley Esq Deputy Political Adviser HONG KONG

Dear Stephen,

1

SOCIALIST DIET MEMBER

No. I Ichiban-cho

Chiyoda-ku

Tokvo 102

Telephone: 3265-5511

Telex: 22755 (a/b PRODROME J22755) Facsimile: (03) 5275-3164

1. Yoshito Sengoku, a member of the House of Representatives belonging to what is now called in English the Social Democratic Party but remains in Japanese the Shakaito, has asked me to arrange an appointment for him on the Hong Kong Government on the morning of 30 March. He plans to visit Hong Kong to investigate holdings there of "gunkyo" currency/coupons which were issued by the Japanese army during the war to pay for goods and services but

The Social Democrats are currently which later became worthless.

-

pursuing a number of questions relating to compensation for war-time misdeeds and Sengoku is investigating the current extent of this particular problem in countries occupied by the Japanese.

2.

Sengoku himself is a first-timer who has already started to make his mark. He was sent to the UK in December to learn how our

He Shadow Cabinet works and is well-known to us in the Embassy. was a lawyer before entering the Diet and is in his mid-40s. constitutency is Tokushima.

3.

His

You will by now have realised that I am hoping that you He speaks no yourself will be able to see him on 30 March. English, so you can practise your Japanese, and I can recommend

The rest of his programme Sengoku as a good person to deal with. will, I assume, be organised by the Japanese Consul-General in the normal way. If you can see him, could you please suggest a time? Although Sengoku will no doubt raise the military currency issue, I see this as an opportunity to talk more broadly to him about Hong Kong and its future.

4. The down-side of this visit is the potential for stirring up renewed, but unjustified, hopes among Hong Kong holders of Japanese war-time bonds. The line to take with them would be that Mr Sengoku's party is not in government and that we are aware of no moves by the Japanese Government to change their long-held position.

Your

our ever,

Graham By Fy

cc: Hong Kong Dept, FCO

David Lan Esq, HKETO, Tokyo

GH Fry

Political Counsellor

I'd

QAMOL ASSUяWD HSILINA ST:ST TT-E0-26.