Two merchant vessels detained by cording to Chinese reports.
Negotiations between the Customs authorities and Japanese military for dozen pointed questions asked by Mr. Tanizo Koyama, veteran M.P. from Wakayam, in the Lower House of the Diet today with regard to terrorism in Shanghai.
Mr. Koyama, who belongs to the Minseito Party, was permitted "urgent interpellation" on Shanghai, and he expressed "profound condolence" at the death of Mr. Chen Loh, Foreign Minister of the "Reformed Government," who was shot dead late on the night of February 19 just outside the International Settlement, in Japanese-controlled territory.
Questions posed by Mr. Koyama included, "are the S.M.C. authorities incapable of preserving order, or, if they are capable, are they insincere? Is there no sign that Chiang regime assassins are in league with the S.M.C. authorities?
If treaties and laws are causing hesitation, does not the right of self-defence over-ride treaties, and is there no intention of carrying out the right of self-defence Is there any intention of expanding mopping-up operations as far as the International Settlement and the French Concession Summarized briefly, the reply given by the Japanese Premier, Baron Keiichi Hiranuma, was that the frequency of terroristic demonstrations im the International Settiement, which had hitherto been considered as a "safety zone," had begun to give the impression it was nothing more than a "base for terroristic activities of lawless elements." Such being the case, the Premier declared, the problem of measures for the insurance of peace and order in China must be fundamentally reconsidered.
fe cannot overlook secret activi-the Premier continued, "carried on in the International International Settlement by the Chiang regime, and the Communist Party. Our Government has sent instructions to the authorities on the spot to take appi and effective measures. As for the right of self-defence, nothing can prevent its exercise."
Demarche by Consul-General The Foreign Minister, Mr. Hachiro Arita, declared that the Government had "hitherto watched with deep attention the development of the situation in the International Settlement."
In this connection, he added, the Japanese Consul-General in Shanghai, Mr. Y. Miura, had on February 10 requested the French Concession and International Settlement authori-
Opium Dens Flourish in Western Badlands (Continued from page 7)
In January 1939 the Opium Smuggling Prevention Corps was established by the Japanese authorities under the auspices of a Mr. Kitaoka, Japanese Adviser to the "Shanghai City Government" in the Jessfield Area. An office is located at Lane 61, House 21, Kinnear Road. This corps is composed of two sections, one dealing with cases in which Japanese and Korean smugglers are involved and the other in cases where Chinese are concerned. Needless to say the expenses of this Corps are defrayed with the monthly fees collected from each opium hong.
A similar organization called the "General Opium Suppression Bureau" was formed about the end of December, with offices located on the 5th Floor of the Broadway Mansions North Soochow Road, for the purpose fof putting into operation a general opium monopoly scheme, embracing the provinces of Kiangsu, Chekian, and Anhwei. Full details of the ae: tions of this body are not known but there is little doubt that it was formed with the intention of collecting money with which to defray military ex-
Japanese Army May Use Force Here Tokyo, Feb. 21.
A Japanese Army conference in Shanghai has decided to employ force, if necessary, in order to "purge the International Settlement of anti-
Japanese terrorists." This is reported by the "Asahi Shimbun" in its issue today.—Reuter.
Convened in an extraordinary meeting, the Shanghai Japanese Emergency Committee, comprising community leaders, yesterday at noon discussed the situation here with special emphasis on the menace of political terrorists against Japanese civilians, the "Shanghai Mainichi" reported yesterday evening. Attending the meeting held at the Japanese Club, Boone Road, was Mr. Yoshiaki Miura, Japanese Consul-General, the paper said. ties strictly to control lawless and radical elements, and fundamental "measures must be taken for the insurance of law and order, unless the situation improved.
The Navy Minister, Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai, stated that there was a feeling that it was urgently necessary to effect a radical improvement in the preservation of peace in the International Settlement in the future. "I am desirous," he declared, "of taking most effective measures for that purpose,"
S.M.C. "Lack Sincerity"
Admiral Yonai gave it as his ion that the Shanghai Municipal Council "show a lack of: sincerity, and if matters are allowed to continue like this, I am convinced of thei|- necessity of taking effective measures for self-defence?"
The Minseito and Seiyukai parties, according to Japanese sources, are much concerned over the alleged rampancy of terrorism in Shanghai.
Diet circles are reported to be in favour of the employment of force for the subjugation of all anti-Japanese terrorist elements in the International Settlement.
The Japanese press continues to express great indignation over the situation in Shanghai.
The "Nichi Nichi Shimbun," for instance, urges the exercise of the right of self-defence on the newly-formed Nanking Government, and the Japanese Government, in order to suppress alleged lawless elements in the Settlement and French Concession. These elements, it is charged, are staging terroristic demonstrations against the Japanese, and against pro-Japanese Chinese, with impunity.—Reuter. penses.
Early in August it was decided to establish an "Opium Monopoly. Bureau" in the Western district and plans were made accordingly to lease premises at Nos. 6, 7, and 70, Lane 53 Hsing Kong Li, Connaught Road, to Be used as a godown to store huge quantities of the drug. So far as i known, however, the proposed "Bureau" has not yet begun to function.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.