13/223/23).
Farzahrana.
Tokyo tolagnum 320.420 61 Lovember 4til 19A.
655
I expect to be in a position to answer your
telegram (0,221 at an early date. I have been engaged for
some time en the compilation of a 104100TATIIun on the matter
but have found it difficult to complete owing to the fut
that dependable figures are hard to obtain.
un November And I mentioned to the "inister for
Foreign Affairs that just lately Japanese newspapers had been
dwelling on a question which had not received mich attention
hitherto - vis. the necessity of having an outlet for
expansion on the Asiatic mainland, Ninister for jerelyn
Affaire told me that it was not Japan who had started this
subject, but the United States, and that most of the articles
dealing with the matter which had appeared in the Japanese
papers were borrowed from the American priss.
In Japanese Goverment's view the question of
excessive population was not especially souts and they dlá
not propose to bring up the subjeet of their need for an
outlet at the Confarende,
According to a puolio prenounce:sent of the Frize
Minister, Japan had no desire to secure fresh possessions on
the Asiatic minland and his view was that no specific pet-
mission from the Conferanse was necessary to enable Japanese
to locate themselves and engage in so-mazos anywhere in'
diberia or China,
An entirely contrary opinion was expressed to me by
American colleague. His Excellency sonsidered that Japan
world/