"Tokyo, Feb. 6.
The British Note to Japan on the Asama Maru case, sent on January Penh Dian m with fore-3,00 words, and
German Government, the Note stated, was making am organized attempt to send at least four parties of officers and men of the Reich Merchant Marine from America, via Japàn and Siberia, to They were obviously being sent for naval service, it was contended, as their training rendered them particularly suitable for such work.
The first party, of about 50 trained seamen, was aboard the Asama Maru, and 13 officers and eight technicians were taken off, the remainder being permitted to proceed, Mentioning that the' Japanese Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Masayuki Tani, had stated that article 47 of the Declaration of London constituted the basis of Japanese instructions, the British note pointed out that the Declaration had never come into force, was not' binding, and, in any case, was liable to produce unreasonable and illogical results.
The British Note then: recalled the practice of the Great Wer, when "persons returning to "the colours were regularly removed from neutral ships, without objection being seriously taken on the grounds of law." The Note conceded, however, that there were some cases in which. kuch persons were subsequently released, owing to special circumstances.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.