Tokyo, Feb. 17. XPLANATIONS similar to those given French and British Ambassadors to Japan, earlier this week, regarding Japanese operations on Hainan Island were made by Mr. Hachiro Arita, the Foreign Minister, to Mr. Joseph Clark Grew, American Ambassador, in a fifteen-minute interview this afternoon, a spokesman for the Foreign Office announced this evening. Mr. Grew called on Mr, Arita at the latter's official residence at 5.30 o'clock this afternoon, The Japanese objective, the spokesman declared, lay in reinforcing the "peaceful blockade" against Chinese shipping in South China, thereby accelerating the downfall of the regime of Gen, Chiang Kai-shek. The operations were dictated by "military necessity," he added. Mr. Grew, the spokesman said, had asked for an explanation of Japan's intentions with regard to the island, pointing out that while the United States did not have a consulate on Hainan, American nationals resided in American-owned property there.
'American interest on Hainan were listed by the spokesman as follows. three churches, one middle school, cne girls' high school, six primary schools, and three hospitals.
Residing on Hainan were 89 American citizens in addition to 25 missionaries, the spokesman declared.—Domei.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.