Abstract
The history of the Japanese consulate in Odesa consists of two key periods: 1889–1910 and 1926–1937. Shimada Shigeru became the third head of the Soviet-era institution, working as a consul in Odesa from 1927 to 1930. The main content of Shimada’s work was writing reports. The source of information for writing reports was periodicals and personal experience of consular officers. To understand the affairs of the Soviet Union, they often went on various business trips. During the period of Shimada’s work in Odessa, he made about 200 reports. The main topics were economic reviews, analysis of the food crisis, international trade, ethnic picture of the region, the state of industrial development, strengthening the totalitarian system, the implementation of various cultural projects and more. The consul saw the low standard of living of the population. He predicted the future disaster in agriculture, namely Holodomor. The materials of the many consul’s reports were intercepted by Soviet counterintelligence agents. However, they did not manage to discover really secret materials. In addition, the consul monitored changes in the Soviet government. He evaluated results of its activity extremely negatively. During official meetings, Shimada always showed loyalty to the USSR, held restrained views in his reports, but openly criticized the Soviet reality in personal conversations.
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