711.94/818
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 10.]
Sir: I wish to inform the Department that General Araki, the Japanese Minister of War, in speaking before the Hyogo-ken National Defense Association at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Kobe, was reported in the press to have made remarks of an extremely unfriendly, if not insulting, nature as regards the United States. The report, which first appeared in the Kobe Shimbun of May 10, was published in English in the Japan Chronicle of May 11, [Page 345] a copy being enclosed herewith.55 As will be seen it contained the following passage:
“What, then, are the country’s international relations? America, who was friendly to Japan at the time of the Russo-Japanese War, exacerbated Japanese feelings over the Californian question and she is fortifying the Panama Canal. What an unedifying spectacle! Soviet Russia is for the despotism of the proletariat against the monarchical regime. It is clear that her policy is absolutely incompatible with the policy of this country which is ruled by the Emperor. Japan must defend herself against these wolves which are sharpening their fangs, and castaway cats showing their teeth for attack”
Although I have refrained from calling the attention of officials of the Foreign Office to many of the examples of anti-American propaganda which have appeared in the Japanese press, most of them being attributable to the newspapers themselves and not directly to Government officials, I consider that the foregoing statement, alleged to have been made in public by the Minister of War of the Japanese Empire, justified action. Consequently on May 13 I called on Mr. Arita, who was then Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, and had a very frank but friendly talk with him concerning the affair. I stated that I had been very patient with regard to the anti-American propaganda which was continually appearing in the Japanese press but that I could not let the present incident pass without drawing it to the attention of the Foreign Office in the interests of Japanese-American relations. I further pointed out that the statement as published was an insult of the worst character and said that I hoped the Vice Minister would make a prompt inquiry.
During the following week Mr. Arita resigned and was succeeded by Mr. Shigemitsu. During my initial call on the new Vice Minister, after discussing in general terms the anti-American propaganda in Japan and its unfortunate effect upon the relations between our two countries, I told him of my representations to his predecessor the week before. He had evidently not heard of the matter but promised to look into it immediately. Later on the same day, May 20, Mr. Okamoto of the Foreign Office called on Mr. Neville of this Embassy. He stated that he was instructed to say that Mr. Arita had taken up this matter with the War Department immediately after my first visit and the latter had just replied. The War Minister stated that he had made no set speech, that he had given no copy of his remarks to any newspaper, and that the account published in the press had greatly exaggerated what he had said. He insisted that he had made no derogatory remarks about foreign nations. Mr. Okamoto stated confidentially that General Araki talks far too much and, [Page 346] as he discusses any matter about which he is asked, he is the source of some embarrassment to other departments. However, Mr. Okamoto pointed out that under such circumstances, it is inevitable that he should be misquoted on many occasions.
In view of the above explanation and as the remarks do not appear to have received any extensive publicity, I have thought it best to let the matter rest. The fact that I took official notice of it may possibly have a salutary effect in future.
Respectfully yours,
- Not reprinted.↩