CO129-471 - Public Offices - 1921 — Page 657

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/