WW1 Japanese Naval Mail Routes to Mediterranean

[Alan Green]

In the latest FPHS Journal 310, page 136 illustrates a cover sent from Port Said to Japan and Alan Baker asks how the mail was handled. Some information is available for Malta, based on my write-up in 'Malta in WW1 – Postal History'. This is not a complete answer and is offered on the FPHS Forum for others to add to or comment on.

Reference Material
Very little official data has been located, although a note found in the Japanese National Archives (www.jacar.go.jp) from the GPO London provides evidence that mail for the Japanese Navy in Malta was handled via London, averaging 2 or 3 mail despatches per month in the 2nd quarter of 1918. Copy of the two-page note is attached.

Separately, the UK National Archives at Kew has, in file MT23, a number of documents relating to the re-supply of the Japanese Squadron from Japan. Apparently, in 1917, initial arrangements were made for Japanese vessels to transport provisions and equipment as far as Colombo, from where it would be taken to Malta on British shipping. This generated delays due to the limited number of ships available from Colombo and the Japanese segment was accordingly extended to Bombay. No mention of carrying mail, but it is an obvious potential route from Malta and Port Said to Japan.

The Japanese Squadron was based at Malta and they had a liaison officer, Lt.Cmdr Sakano, integrated with the Mediterranean Naval Staff in Valletta. Whether the mail was similarly integrated remains to be proven.

Postal History Examples
Mail between the Japanese Squadron and Japan is scarce and as Alan mentions, the writing is generally only in Japanese symbols. This suggests Naval bag mail, only opened on arrival in Japan.

There is a further example (only one known to-date) sent from Malta in May 1917 through the GPO. In this case, the Yokohama address is written in English, with the onward local address (Kyoto) in Japanese symbols. This postcard bears a 1d Malta KG.V stamp and a boxed cachet reading Passed By/Censor IJN. A copy of the cachet is attached and although there is nothing suspicious, it would be nice to see further examples.

Conclusions
Three potential routes for Mail to/from the Japanese Mediterranean Squadron:
1. Naval Bag mail via GPO London – presumably London-Japan via Moscow & Vladivostok?
2. Naval Bag mail via Japanese fleet provisioning service
3. Commercial service via GPO Malta; this would require the address in English

Hopefully this is of interest to some and will generate further knowledge,
Alan Green

[Alan Green]

....now adding the missing attachments!

Sorry for the omission.

[Graham Mark]

Hello Alan
At the time the Japanese ships were operating in the Med the route from London via the trans-Siberian would not have been practical.  A more likely route would be transatlantic, across the N American continent and transpacific.  Most likely route from Atlantic to Pacific would be across Canada as much mail from Japan and China to USA was diverted to Vancouver for censorship reasons so there would have been a good outlet there for mail going to Japan.
For the impracticality of the trans-Siberian route I quote a Post Office file POST 56/73, section V "Far East via Siberia" which I edited for publication as "Imperial & Foreign Mails, Sea Conveyance during War 1914-1918", pub 1997 by The Postal History Society. (copies still available, with a brand new supplement).
Best wishes to all
Graham