Japan not handing warships over to Manchuria in 1935

The German embassy at Tokyo, Japan wrote on 24 January 1935 to the Chef der Marineleitung at Berlin referring to a reliable source that Japan did not hand over elder warships to Manchuria or intended to do in the future. A detailed list of the Japanese river fleet stationed at Harbon and a list fo the strength of the Manchurian police boats would be sent. An item referred to the Dutch newspaper Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant No. 237 evening edition [dated 9 October 1934]. This newspaper reported that the Japanese Admiralty wrote a plan for establishing a navy for Manchuria. The Japanese magazine Dairen Simbon reported that the establishing of the Manchurian navy nearly begun. Japanese shipyards were building several new ships and the Japanese Admiralty was to hand over aged ships no longer wanted by the Japanese navy.

Source

Bundesarchiv RM-11-68