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Includes: The Chairman's Statement, issued in lieu of the usual speech at the Annual Meeting. Principal effects of the outbreak of war with Japan on the work of the Association. Difficulty of obtaining information from the Far East Formation of a Joint Committee with the London Chamber and others to survey claims for compensation and post war problems, revision of treaties with China. Issue of trading licences despite the "freezing order". Establishment of a pension fund for the Secretary REPORT. Events leading up to the outbreak of war with Japan. Hitler invades Russia. Agreement between Britain and Russia for united action. Japan claims Britain and USA encircling Thailand and Indo-China and demands bases. Eden makes policy statement. USA and Britain freeze Japanese assets and Japanese troops land at Saigon. And Camranh Bay. Meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt produces the Atlantic Charter, guaranteeing to all freedom of trade and of access to raw materials. Nomura talks in Washington and Toyoda talks to Grew in Tokyo. Japan's motives. October 3rd, USA Britain and the Netherlands agree to stop oil shipments to Japan. Gen. Tojo becomes Prime Minister., says that Japan must purge East Asia of the practices of Great Britain and the United States. Declaration of State of Emergency in Malaya, Hongkong urges the evacuation of non-essentials. Japan declares a state of war on Dec. 7th and Thailand permits landing of Japanese forces. Main Far Eastern Events from Dec. 7th 1941 to April 30th 1942 Japanese troops attack Hongkong and land in Malaya and in Guam, and Manila. Here follows a chronological summary of the principal military events up to the end of April at which time the Japanese had occupied most of Burma and had seized Lashio thus closing the Burma Road. The War in China. Chinese successfully defend Changsha and recapture Chengchow and Foochow. Attempts made to relieve the pressure on Hongkong. The Trade of the Past Year. Customs statistics for the first nine months of 1941, product and port commentary. The "Freezing Order" Problems arising from the decision of the American and British Governments to freeze the assets of residents of China. Hongkong residents made subject to the Defence Finance Regulations, bringing them into the sterling area. Japan bans the export of cottons. Effect on trade of the declaration of war. Depreciation of the fapi against the F.R.B. dollar Trade by the Burma Road. Statistics of the Burma Government. Construction of alternative roads. The Burma Railway, contemplated extension. China's finances. Great increase in expenditure owing to cost inflation. Customs, Salt and tax revenues compared with 1937. Note issue. Conditions in Yunnan. Change to a 'front line' province. Industrialisation and agriculture. Co-operative Societies. Reasons for slowing up of the movement. Japanese Occupied China. Operations of the Japanese controlled North China Development Company and the Central China Development Company. Conditions in Japan. The war time Cabinet. National finances. The Imperial Rule Assistance Association fails. Industrial production. Output of the aircraft industry. Population statistics. Work of the Association. F.B.I. Chinese Apprenticeships. Contact with returned students in China. The Distress Fund. Universities China Committee. Appendix. Circular Letters to Members of the Association: British Subjects in Japanese hands and their Dependents, arrangements for payments to dependents of armed forces personnel and civil servants, also to British Residents in Enemy-occupied China. Treatment of British Subjects in Shanghai, in Hongkong, Civilians evacuated from Malaya, and in Teintsin [Tianjin] and Canton [Guangzhou]. British Subjects in Hongkong. British Subjects in Shanghai and Others Ports. Evacuees in Australia. War Prisoners and the Red Cross. Reconstruction in China. Broadcast by Dr Wellington Koo on April 12th 1942. Communications, railway and road construction, industrial development, co-operatives, education
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