Japanese Army forces occupying the border of the leased territory of Kowloon, near Shumchun, yesterday evacuated the district as a gesture of friendliness towards Great Britain, it was revealed at the Japanese press conference yesterday. This action on the part of the Japanese Army was Jearried out entirely on their own Initiative the Army spokesman said. Military necessity no longer required that the Japanese maintain forces. in the district and in consideration of the difficulties such occupation imposed on Third Party. Powers the Japanese Army decided to withdraw.
The Japanese Conpul-General in Canton informed the British Consul-General there of the steps taken the Army, the spokesman said. The statement of the Japanese Consul-General, according to the spokesman, declared that out of a spirit of friend-lines to Britain the Japanese Army evacuated Shumchun' on their own initiative. Should the same be again used by the Chinese forces or as a base of anti-Japanese operations, the 'Japanese Consul-General was reportd'to have said, or should the district permitted to become a supply route for the Chinese the Japanese 'Army may reoccupy the a: ea at their own' convenience.
Shumehun was occupied by the Japanese Army on August 16 when a force of 800 men took possession of the village. Later the Japanese troop and equipment concentrations alons ed the British territorial border led the British authorities fo take sweeping defensive precautions. There was 8 state of tension prevailing in the Colony for almost two weeks but this tension relaxed as the Japan. ese made no hostile move against British territory.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.