CARTOON OFFENDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22179, 5 August 1935, Page 9

CARTOON OFFENDS

AMERICAN MAGAZINE A JAPANESE PROTEST CARICATURE OF EMPEROR By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received August 4, 6.35 p.m.) NEW YORK. Aug. 3 The Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Hiroshi Saito, revealed to-day that his Embassy had informally protested to the State Department against a cartoon satirising the Emperor Hirohito, published in the current issue of the magazine Vanity Fair. The cartoon was among a group under the caption: "Not on Your Tintype—Five Highly Unlikely Historical Situations, by one who is sick of the same old headlines." The Emperor is depicted in fantastic dress pulling an old-fashioned jinriksha on which reposes a large scroll with the accompanying title: "Japan's Emperor Gets the Nobel Peace Prize."

Mr. Saito explained that in Japan the representation of the Emperor engaged in the menial task of pulling a jinriksha could not be understood or taken lightly. The State Department withheld comment, but recalled previous similar protests. Officials explained that American publications enjoy the entire freedom of the press." There is no censorship beyond that imposed by the laws of libel and obscenity. Mr. Frank Crownin Shield, editor of the magazine, said the drawing was intended to be perfectly good-natured. Some of the best known Americans appeared oft the same page. The caricature appears on a page of drawings by William Gropper, with others of Rear-Admiral Bvrd, Mr. J. P. Morgan, Mr. Huey P. Long and Mr. W. R. Hearst. Rear-Admiral Byrd is depicted as wintering at Tahiti.