Tokyo, Jan. 10.
News of the Japanese occupation of Tsingtao brought joy this afternoon to thousands of Japanese who formerly lived in the Shantung port and had evacuated to Tokyo at the beginning of hostilities with China.
Looking forward to an early return to the city where many of them had lived for long periods of years, evacuees from various parts of the country gathered at the Iseya Hotel, MinamisSakuma-cho, Shiba, this afternoon to discuss the news and make preparations for going back.
The news of the occupation caused rejoicing throughout the country, but was of special interest to the 16,183 Japanese evacuees of Tsingtao now living in Japan. The general evacuation was carried out last August with a view to preventing the outbreak of hostilities in the Tsingtao area; the Japanese left behind properties valued at ¥.400,- 000,000, their homes and businesses, many of them built up over a period of 20 years.
When the former residents of Tsingtao had gathered together this afternoon they expressed their enthusiasm over the news by cheering the Emperor and the Empress and singing the national anthem, the "Kimigayo. The demonstration was led by Mr. Kanjo Yoshizawa, Vice-President of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Tsingtao.
The celebration was concluded with a banquet at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.—Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.