FOREIGN OFFICE FILES FOR JAPAN AND THE FAR EAST
Series One: Embassy & Consular Archives - Japan (1905-1940)
(Public Record Office Class FO 262)

Part 2: Detailed Correspondence for 1921-1923
(PRO Class FO 262/1512-1601)

Foreign Office Class FO 262 provides the reports and detailed correspondence of Britains Embassy and Consular Officials, both in Japan and in the territories she controlled in China, Formosa and Korea. Throughout the entire period these files are packed with information on all subjects with data and assessments giving us a fascinating insight into the views, policies, decisions and actions of all the nations involved throughout the Far East.

Part 2 concentrates on the Early Twenties - Growth of a New World Power and covers the years 1921 to 1923. It features important files on the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, Arms Traffic, China, Drugs, the internal political situation in Japan, the Pan Asiatic League, the Safeguarding of Industries, Siberia, Socialism, Trade Marks and the Washington Conference of 1921-1922 on Naval Disarmament and questions on the Far East. There is also material on the Dutch East Indies, the Great Earthquake of 1923 and the requirements for Earthquake Relief. Full and detailed reports on proceedings in the Diet throughout the period provide an excellent picture of Japanese politics.

All centres with an emphasis on research on modern Japan in the inter-war period should have this microfilm collection. These files provide far more than just political analysis; there is a great deal on social issues, the economy, agriculture, customs, culture and intellectual life in Japan during this period making this a comprehensive insight into the events of the time.