Page 42 - Chinese International Airmail to 1949
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1.6 Air Mail to Japan
The rates to Japan from Japanese‑occupied China are not clear. The official Chinese post office rate was 5c per 20g
surface, plus 40c per 20g air. However the covers shown here are pre‑paid at 40c and did not attract any postage due.
25 Dec 1938 ‑ Japanese FPO 60 (Hankou) to Nagano‑ken, Japan. 17 Feb 1939 ‑ Shanghai to Kyoto, Japan.
Paid $0.40. Paid $0.40.
Japanese Date Formats
The format of dates in Japanese handstamps is RR MM DD where RR is the regnal year of the Emperor. Hirohiti came
to the throne in 1926, hence year 13 equates to 1938 in the western calendar. MM and DD are the month and the
day. In the above two examples, 13.12.25 is 25 December 1938 and 14.2.18 is 18 February 1939.
