05/19/97 CLAMOR TO COVER HONG KONG

CLAMOR TO COVER HONG KONG

As the July 1 handover of Hong Kong to China looms, journalists are, naturally, scrambling for accreditation to cover the historic event. The big surprise, though, is their affiliation. From more than 6,300 applicants so far, the largest group, outside the Hong Kong media, comes not from China, Britain, or the U.S., but from Japan, which turned in more than 1,000 applications.
The hosts, the incoming Hong Kong government, figure that the Japanese are particularly concerned with issues of stability and tourism. At any rate, Japanese reporters will outnumber the 900 U.S. journalists who have applied and the 450 from China. Taiwan, to which Beijing also lays claim, is sending more than 200 as the eyes and ears of its relatively small 21 million population.
EDITED BY JOHN TEMPLEMAN