Section 2 Plundering of Inland Post by Japan

After the "July 7 Incident" in 1937, Japan invaded most of China territories of North China, Central China, and South China, and set up the puppet regime. Because of the benefits of other imperialistic countries in China, Japan adopted the method of nibbling step by step, enforcing control and finally taking over totally toward the post in these areas.

Post in Baotou, Zhang Jia Kou was taken over by Japanese Army, who set up "Mongolia Post Bureau". It transferred all post offices in Chahar, Suiyuan provinces and north side of the great wall of Shanxi Post Area to the area of "Mongolia Post Bureau", forming an independent post area which was totally separated from China Post. For post in North China areas, Japanese army set up General Post Administration Bureau in the puppet government, and gradually grasped the control of Post To prevent Japan from talking over post, Naming Government replaced all administrators in the provinces of North China with foreigners. So Japan didn't take over it by force. It sent inspectors to monitor the post and appointed Japanese to be the deputy directors of the post administration bureaus in Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi and Henan. Japan regulated that the responsibilities of Japanese deputy director was to assist the director in the work of the bureau, instructed and supervised business of all departments. All documents should be read by him before handling. To decide on simple items in the name of the director for the rapidness of work, to be replaced by high level Japanese staff if absent.. With all these authorities, the deputy director would be the dominator the post office. F.Poletti pointed out in his report to the General Bureau in Chongqing in Jan 1940 that Japan persuaded post office in North China areas to accept Japanese deputy director was actually to control the post authorities. After the Pacific War broke out, Japan put F.Poletti and other foreigners into prison, thus North China Post was totally controlled by Japan.

In Central and South China, because Shanghai was the location of Exchange Office of international Mails of China, international communication relations related to the benefits of foreign powers in China, and administrators of post areas were mostly foreigners. Japan adopted controlling method toward the post in these areas, sent mail inspectors and raised the positions of Japanese post staff. In March 1931, Naming Government appointed A.M Chapelain, the General inspector of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang as the director of the Shanghai office of the General Bureau. In the office, there were 3 section's of service, business and finance. The director of the business section was the Japanese Assistant Post Chief. Anyway, post in central China and South China wasn't . be totally grasped by Japanese, and communication operated normally, international mails were still imported and exported through Shanghai. The puppet regime intended to take over the post, which wasn't agreed by Japan. After the Pacific War broke out, Central China Post was in deep deficit, the puppet regime did not want to compensate for it, and only took the measures of controlling Shanghai Office. Only by March 1943, after Chongqing broke all economical relations of post with Shanghai, did it take over the post in Central China.