South China Blockade to Be Tightened; Pirates To Be Curbed; Tokyo Denies Breaking Treaty With Japanese Forces on Hainan Island, Feb. 10, 'APAN today moved into the cross roads of the South China Seas, In a swift combined naval and military attack, Japanese forces by noon had succeeded in securing control of the two major towns of Hainan Island and occupying its sole fortress. Less than eight hours after the first Japanese troops had made their night landing in an unnamed bay along the west coast, Kiungchow, seat of the island government, was occupied at 10.45 o'clock this morning. Fifteen minutes later, Hoihow, the port of Kiungchow and biggest town on Hainan, fell into Japanese hands. At about the same time, another Japanese detachment drove out the garrison from the Hsiuying forts defending Hoihow.
Strategically dominate ing the coast of French Indo-China, between British Hongkong and Singapore, and flanking the Philippines, 500 miles to the east, Hainan occupies an important position in the Far Eastern political map, Covering an area of about 13,000 square miles, this island is situated between 10 and 20 degrees north latin tude and 109.30 to 112.30 degrees east longitude, about 250 miles south-west of Hongkong. Its population is estimated at 2,500,000, of whom ten per cent are aborigines. Little resistance was encountered by the advancing Japanese from the 500 Chinese regulars and the 20,000 ill-equipped militiamen reported to be on the island. Gen. Chang Ta, commander-in-chief of the Chinese forces on the island, was at Shaochow in northern Kwangtung when Japanese forces were landed.
The Japanese convoy, consisting of transports and escorting naval vessels, dropped anchor off Hainan island at 11 o'clock last night The moon appeared only occasionally from behind the clouds.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.