EXCLUSION OF JAPANESE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18722, 30 May 1924, Page 7

EXCLUSION OF JAPANESE.

ACTION OF AMERICA.

SOLEMN PROTEST PENDING.

DEEP REGRET IN TOKIO.

|" ■ " U.S. BAPTIST'S VIEW. . BLOW TO CO-OPERATION. By Telegraph—Press Association— (Received 8.5 p.m.); ••- Renter. v " TOKIO, May 28. The Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs/Baron' Matsui,, in a statement, declared that the Japanese Government [ deeply regretted the enactment of the Exclusion provision, in the United States Immigration Bill. It had been enacted despite Japan's frequent and earnest representations since its introduction into the American ' House of Representatives in December, and despite the vigorous and repeated endeavours of the President, Mr. Calvin Coolidge, and the Secretary of State, Mr. C. E. Hughes,'to prevent the inclusion; of the discriminatory; provision. It; is officially announced that the Japanese Government remains ■ unshaken in its opposition to this discriminatory legislation against the Japanese. It has instructed its Ambassador at Washington Baron Hanihara,' to lodge a solemn protest with the American Government. - r The members of the' two Houses of the Diet to-day passed a resolution strongly protesting against the exclusion clause in the American bill. They pledged themselves to use their best efforts for the restoration of amity • between ; the two nations by securing the -withdrawal of the measure. The latter action, it was believed, would represent the •wishes of the general body of public opinion, in America. A message from New York states that at the annual assembly of the Northern Baptist Convention at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the president, Mr. ; Corwin S. Shank, said: When America turns her Back upon her ancient friend, Japan, and forces the race question to the front, she becomes responsible before God and the ; 'world for setting in motion influences the extent of which no man can measure. He »said that the exclusion clause in the Immigration. Bill was a final blow to thp cooperative movement in the development of; civilisation. '■ . • < •

Viscount Kiyoura, the Premier of Japan, in an interview , last month, expressed regret at the drastic action of the "United States Congress against Japanese immigration into America. He said: .It jeems to us to have been hardly necessary J" in view of the fact that our whole history has shown us ,willing to be • reasonable; .We arc willing to ; accept a privilege only nominal. If we have not made this clear, in language " foreign ; to our use we have at any rate shown .it by our., long record of actions of friendship, which may now be impaired but cannot be ■ broken. The Premier said that ' Japan 7 did not dispute the United States right to i arrange their own immigration. She had only, asked for, a concession, the denial of which . woulci cause regret, because she hoped that this further act of consideration would -bo an. addition to several which the 5 United States 'had . shown before. ~ He declared that Japan would never ; forget i the moral and financial support given by the United States in the greatest crisis of her history, and . the'. impressive ,5 sympathy shown in her -greatest disaster. * v ■