Tokyo, Aug. 23.
The question of forced inspection of the account books of the branch ofice of the Bank of Chosen in Vladivostok is developing into a serious international issue, it is generally believed here.
It is the first time that the only Japanese banking agent in Soviet Russia has received such a rigorous inspection from Soviet officials and it is suspected that the Soviet authorities have taken this measure with a view to driving out the Japanese fishermen working Soviet waters, who have close business connections with the Bank lof Chosen, which is the only Japanese banking firm allowed to transact business in Soviet Russia.
If the insulting treatment by the Soviet officialy does not cease, the branch office of the Bank is_expected to withdraw from Vladivostok, and as the result the branch office (of the Dalbank, a Soviet banking institution, which has been allowed to do banking business in Japan in exchange for the opening of the branch fice of the Bank of Chosen in Vladivostok, will eventually be requested to close its doors, thereby affecting general business relations between Russia and Jay The whole matter will be closely studied by Mr. Tokichih Tanaka, Japanese Ambassador to Moscow, who is shortly returning to Tokyo on Zurlough. In the meanwhile Japanese fishing circles, who are most affected by the present affair, are said tobe determined to resort to free fishing if the present Russo-[Japanese impasse' can not be settled}
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.