Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-28
RUSS MASSACRE
JAPAN'S GUARDS
b AND NATIONALS
Toxic Foreign Office Tells OF
"Serious Upheavar' in Nj
koIaevk. Siberia, Region.

japanese guards in the district OF
Nikolaevk. eastern Siberia are pc,
lieved to have been annihilated ano
several hundred Japanese residents
including the Japanese consul there
maSsacred according to an omcla
statement issued by the Japanese
foreign office and made public today
by the State Department.
The Japanese statement said the
suspension of communication with the
district rendered 1t impossible to get
at the real state of affairs. but that
1t was evident that "a serious up
heavar' had taken place. Efforts OF
the japanese to dispatch q military
relief expedition into the district
have failed because of the ice.
Meantime. however. the japanese
have sent an expedition TO AleNan-
drovski. accompa MED hy the warships
Mikasa and Mishima. The forces
reached their destination April - and
found the Japanese residents in that
district safe. Most OF them We're
taken aboard the Mikasa.
The statement issued by the Japa-
nese foreign Office follows:
The conditions in the district OF
NikoIaevsk. which have been assum-
ing a serious aspect since the begin
ming of March, appear to have Gull
minated in serious upheaval.
The suspension of communication
gain knowledge OF the real state of
affairs, but all the reports so far re-
ceived point to the conclusion that the
Japanese guards in the locality were
annihilated and that several hundred
Japanese residents. including the
Japanese consul there have been mas
sacred.
'In view of the seriousness of the
whole situation. efforts have been
made by the Japanese consul and
military authorities in Siberia to as
certain the truth. through open ne
gotiations with the Russian authori-
ties, and on the other hand to take
the necessary steps for the rescue of
the sufferers. The attempt. however.
has been pro icallr frutless because
of complete lack of communication in
the disturbed districts. in addition to
the hindrance caused bN the frozen
character of the locality.
THE hopeIessly chaotic condition
into which the neighboring localities
have been thrown makes it quite clear
that the attainment of the object for
which the Japanese have so far made
efforts will be plain impossibility
unless more drastic steps are taken.
1.-The Japanese government. there
fore. has decided to dispatch a contin-
gent to Nikolaevsk for the purpose of
protecting the Japanese residents. AS
1t is impossible, however. on account
Of the ice, TO go direct TO the district,
the Japanese plan to send the contin-
gent via Sagha1in. and to land them at
Alexandrovski. where they will stay
until the freezing season is over. in
the meantime protecting the Japanese
residents in the locality of Alexan-
drovski.
"In accordance with this decision
the contingent departed for its des-
tination on April 10. under the escort
of the warship Mikasa and Mishima.
arriving at Alexandrovski early on
the morning of the 22d. The troops
were able to land without meeting
with any resistance.
1.-THE Japanese residents in the dis
trict were all found to be safe and
most of them were taken on board the
Mikasa"