The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-06
v|SC0UNT AOK| IS
INTERVIEWED At
FRISCO
Retiring Japanese Ambassador
Talks Freely.
DENIES TALK ON IMMIGRATION
Laughs at Sensational Report Of War
Feeling In His Country Praises
Americans a. Friends.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 6.--viscoun
AOki. japanese ambassador at Wash
ington, who arrived In San Francisco
en- route to Tokyo. having been re
called by his government at his owl
request, In an interview with press
representative denied the Statement
attributed to him in an alleged inter
view and in which he was quoted a.
saying,
Japan Is restricting the emigration
Of laborers to this country and vii
continue to do so" and "that 1t would
be regarded as offensive to the dignity
of Japan for this country to pass az
exclusion law or endeavor to embOdy
the subject in treaty."
Such statement did not emanats
from me-" emphatically declared the
ambassador in German, language
with which he is much more familiar
than with English. Il did not talk
with any newspaper man nor did
authorize any one to speak for me
much less snake any statement. Fur.
thermore. l have not discussed the
emigration question with any one since
left Washington. am returning to
Japan after long absence to confer
with my government on various mat,
tiers and to convey to the emperor the
best wishes and expressions OF friend.
ship from President Roosevelt and. |
believe, the American people.
'The attitude Of Japan toward this
country is of the friendliest character,
but the immigration question and 9TH
er matters Of policy between the two
countries are for statesmen and diplo.
mats and cannot be so freely dis
cussed in public"
Being able to express himself readily
In German, the ambassador talked at
length on various topics, but declined
to discuss the Vancouver race trou-
bles, the immigration question in gen
eral or comment on the transfer of the
battleship feet from the Atlantic TO
the Pacific ocean.
He laughed heartily when shown a
dispatch from Paris stating that the
japanese fleet had disappeared from
Its customary cruising ground and was
reported TO be near Hawaii.
At luncheon given at the st. Fran.
els hotel by the trustees of the cham
Der of commerce and at which Wis.,
count Aokl. Consul General Chozo
Koike and Vice Consul X. Matsubara
were the guests of honor, the United
States was represented by District At
torney Robert L. Devlin. G. II. Bent
ley, president of the chamber of com
merce, In introducing viscount Aoki
touched on the labor riots and the anti
Japanese feeling. He expressed graft
tude that the governments of the two
countries were composed Of men who
were not to be deceived by the exhibit
ton Of rioting and disorder by law
less elements and declared that this
was not typical Of the feeling Of the
people of San Francisco toward Japan.
much less that Of the American people
Ambassador Aoki in response said
that the debt of gratitude Of Japan to-
ward America was so great that no
isolated cases Of complaint could ever
dissipate 1t. He re-echoed the friendly
assurance the emperor Of Japan il re-
ported to have sent to President Reese
welt through Secretary Of War Taft.
Japan wants peace with America"
he added, now and always, and she
will omit ne effort to make that desire
a reality. l am convinced that Amsri-
ca reciprocates this good will and shall
bear that report across the ocean,
Viscount Aoki said:
During my brief but very happy
residence In the United States have
had many opportunities of seeing that
which conceive to be best and great
est In the American people. l have
marveled at your energy, at your prac-
tical methods Of doing things, at your
wealth and the vastness of your ma
terial resources. l have studied your
wonderful political system, your social
customs and practices and noticed the
value which you wisely attach to your
schools and institutions of learning.
"But that which has most impressed
me. / think, is the spirit of practical
unity which holds your people together
over so vast territory and under such
a variety of conflicting local interests.
l think there is no such homogeneity
on so large a scale anywhere else In
the world. One great purpose appears
to animate the American people, and
that is to pull together for the up
building Of the national greatness"