793.94/8281
The Consul at Kobe (Scott) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 19.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that an economic mission sponsored by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and supported by the Fourth Division Army Headquarters, Osaka, left that city on September 10, 1936 for Manchuria and North China.
The mission is headed by Yakichi Ataka, President of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and is composed of some sixty-one business leaders representing various trades and industries. Its stated purpose is to investigate economic conditions in “Japan’s first line of defense”. While ostensibly sponsored by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, all arrangements for travel and investigation have been made by the Fourth Division Headquarters. Major Odashima attached to the Fourth Division Headquarters will conduct the party on its tour. It will pass through Hsingking, Kirin, Mukden, Tientsin, Tsingtao, returning to Japan via Dairen on October 2, 1936.
[Page 316]The sending of this mission is in no sense a routine commercial gesture. Several points of interest may claim our attention. First, the army, that is to say in this case the Fourth Division Headquarters, is publicly supporting a movement of this sort for the first time. Previously such missions had received little more than the good-will of the army authorities on the spot. Second, its members are made up of outstanding business leaders from the city of Osaka, figures of first magnitude in the cotton piece goods, rayon, and railway supply industries, as well as representatives of important banking interests. Third, the personnel has been drawn from elements known to have been very outspoken in their criticisms of the army at the time of the February 26th incident. It is significant also that with but a few exceptions the members of the mission have not been primarily interested in the China trade.
It is apparent that the army for the first time has become convinced of the desirability of enlisting the sympathy of industrial leaders towards its military adventures on the continent. This represents an important departure from the hysterical type of policy which characterized the revolt of the young officers in the February incident. The Fourth Division officers appear to feel that fostering closer relations between the Osaka business world and the army will avoid much of the misunderstanding that has arisen in the past and forward the smooth fulfilment of the army’s aims.
Respectfully yours,