Tokyo, June 21.
Having captured the outlying islets and removed all mines, Japanese warships entered Swatow harbour at 830 this morning according to en official communique, A communique issued by the Navy Section of the Imperial Headquarters states that Japanese transports containing Japanese troops, escorted by the Japanese fleet in South China under Admiral Kondoh, reached a point off Swatow at midnight.
The Japanese forces, it adds, immediately started landing operations, while a naval force at 5.30 this morning completely occupied all islands dominating Swatow by breaRing Chinese resistance.
Japanese warships at 830 am. started to enter Swatow harbour by removing booms and sweeping mines.
In a statement, the spokesman of the Foreign Office said that the "operations which the Japanese have just undertaken in South China, like those which have been in progress since last year, are nothing other than an extension of purely military action for the purpose of destroying an important base of operations of the Chiang Kai-shek regime against Japan.
"The policy hitherto pursued by the Japanese Government of respecting the rights and interests of third Powers remains unchanged. Although the best efforts, therefore, will be exerted for the prevention of any damage to them in the present operations, it is earnestly hoped that third Powers will understand the real intentions of Japan and extend their ce-operation to the efforts of the (Continued on page 8)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.