JAPANESE EXCLUSION

Southland Times, Issue 19292, 10 July 1924, Page 5

JAPANESE EXCLUSION

RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP AN IMPORTANT MOVE QUESTION OF ASSIMILATION. (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) TOKIO, July 8. (Received July 9, 11.0 p.m.) Cabinet has approved of an important Bill to permit Japanese citizens residing abroad, who have not taken the oath of allegiance by serving the Japanese army, to relinquish their Japanese citizenship. Thus children born of Japanese parentage in the United States, who suffered under the confused status of dual nationality, would be enabled to discard their Japanese citizenship. The Bill becomes effective upon the consent of the Diet which will shortly consider the measure at a plenary session of both Houses. It is hoped that the Measure will somewhat weaken the contention that the Japanese are unassimilable. It supports the Japanese Governmental attitude in the last Note of protest against exclusion, also Mr Shidehara’s assertion that the charge of unassimilability has not stood the test of time. Japan feels that a continuance of her protest against exclusion would be fruitless. It regards the immigration question as an open issue with the United States and is making every effort to strengthen the Japanese case for such time when Japan raises the question again.