Among the Japanese institutions recently to have moved into the Concessions is the Kochu Kashi, an important subsidiary of the South Manchurian Railway Company.
The Japanese press cites another alleged reason for the Japanese military authorities' order, namely the alleged printing of illegal banknotes and speculations in yen notes in the Concessions.
The foreign community here, how-lever, is sceptical of these alleged reasons also.
Rumours that have been current here for some time that the Japanese were anxious to alter the international status of the Concessions in some way or other has given rise to anxiety in certain quarters.
Today Japanese army lorries rumbled continuously through the Concessions "evacuating" Japanese nationals.—Reuter.
"Boycott"
Tientsin, Sept. 1.
Japanese firms and individuals, with offices and homes in the French and British Concessions here, today hurried preparations to evacuate the two foreign-controlled areas under "boycott" orders of the Japanese military authorities. The Japanese Consul-General is among those who will move out.
Affected by the orders, issued yesterday, are 1,113 Japanese residing in the French Concession and 151 living in the British concession.
While the time limit for the evacuation was set at two weeks from yesterday, many began evacuate ing today asserting that they thereby wanted to show their "enthusiastic approval" of the action of the military authorities.
Many Japanese will suffer vast financial loss by this decision, but no organized opposition was heard.
In ordering the evacuatic. of their nationals from the two areas, the Japanese military authorities alleged that the French and British concessions were being turned into "hot beds" of pro-Chinese troublemakers, while the authorities administrating the two areas were accused of interfering with Japanese commercial activity.
In contrast was cited the "cooperative attitude" of the Italian Concession authorities.—Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.