CHANGING NATIONALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 162, 10 July 1924, Page 5

CHANGING NATIONALITY.

JAPANESE XN U.S.A. BILL IN THE DIET. TOKYO, July 9. The Japanese Cabinet has approved an important bill to permit Japanese citizens residing abroad, who have not taken the oath of allegiance by serving in the Japanese Army, to relinquish their Japanese citizenship. Thus children born of Japanese parents in the United States, who have suffered under the confused status of their dual nationality, would be enabled to discard their Japanese citizenship. The bill will become effective upon its approval by the Diet, which will shortly consider it at a plenary session of both Houses. It is hoped that the measure may somewhat weaken the contention that the Japanese are not an assimilable race. It supports the Japanese Government's attitude in its last Note of protest against the United States exclusion law, and also the assertion of Mr. Shidehara, Minister of Foreign Affairs, that the charge of non-assimilability has not stood the test of time. Japan feels that to continue her protests against the exclusion of her people from America would be fruitless. Nevertheless she. regards the immigration question as an open issue with the United States. Japan is making every effort to strengthen her case against the time when she deems it wise to raise the question again.—(A. and N.Z. Cable.)