Eighty Years Ago: Asia Pacific, March 27 – April 2, 1941

March 27, 1941: During visit to Berlin, Japanese Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yosuke tells his German counterpart Joachim von Ribbentrop that their Axis partnership is “a pact of peace

March 28, 1941: Japanese troops continue advance north of Hong Kong, seizing town of Jieshi

March 29, 1941: Japanese spy Yoshikawa Takeo begins sending reports to Tokyo about conditions at US Naval base in Pearl Harbor

March 30, 1941: Transport vessel USS Antares unloads American troops on atoll of Palmyra, south of Hawaii, to beef up defenses as concerns about Japanese intentions linger

March 31, 1941: Furious battle between Chinese and Japanese troops in northern Jiangxi province

April 1, 1941: Japan restricts navigation on Yangtze River, apparently in preparation of major military operations against Chinese enemy

April 2, 1941: Chinese veteran diplomat Guo Taiqi is named new foreign minister. His appointment, following a decade as ambassador to London, is seen as bid to strengthen relations with Britain and the United States

Categories: War

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