The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-12-05
ViscOunt IShii Says
That RunOrs Hurt
Japanese Prestige.

T&0KlO. Dec. 5.-ylscount Ishli.
formerly japanese ambassador TO
Washington. asserts in a magazine
article published here that the reports
which have been circulated in some
other ccuntries Of an alleged secret al
lance between Japan and Germany are
Directly traceable 10 the interpretations
which were made in the Japanese diet
10 the winter Of 1916. These inquiries
F"ere IN relation to the London COM
pact between he allies 10 make no
/ separate peace with Germany. II will
be recalled that this was formed In the
! early stages OF the war.
Nlscouut ishii says the rumor has
caused serious harm TO JRpan's war
time diplomacy and has injured %Japan's
interests in her post bellum diplomacy.
He points out that in the interpella-
lions Prominent members Of the diet
~Contended that Japan had shouldered a
/ grove responsibility Of n~o-separate
| peace at a time when the issue Of the
! great war forbade any forecasts. The
| visc0unt, who was foreign minister
when the London pact was signed.
says the Japanese cabinet answered
these criticisms by declaring that the
government had no intention Awhatso-
ever Of concluding a separate peace
| with Germany. ADHERENCE to The pact,
ministers pointed out. was in conso-
nance with article 2 OF the A~nglo-Jap-
anese alliance.
1t was but NATURAL writes Viscount
Ishii, that foreigners should be i'm
/ pressed with the notion that the Jap
anese nation was really opposed to the
London declaration, and that Japanese
had an intention Ia conclude a sepa-
rate peace with the enemy, and even
perhaps, to form an alliance with Ger
many after the war,
of course, it is die height OF yio-
lation Of international morals for =
country to betTay her ally or allies
and shake hands with the enemy In the
course of war, and yet history furnishes.
us examples OF such violation of in
| tCrUational morality as in the case OF
Russia in the Seven Years war. 1t Is
not unreasonable that foreign people
Ishould have been impressed with. q
suspicion that the japanese nation had
q dislike for the nonseparate peace
pact and might any time betray her
allies and shake hands with Germany
when an available opportunity pre-
scented itself! But the ministry consid-
cred the diet interpretations more OF a
political attack or itself tina as oppo-
siti6n to the London pact. Parliament
tary attacks for political purposes are
frequent in almost all countries; In
Japan this is an unfortunate tendency
The current of the tide OF the
worlds affairs now flows In m ana
1.-THE same direction ana no county 10
any longer a distant neighbor in these
DAYS Of closer international relations
Every utterance Of any individual not
only in parliamentary discussion, put
also at public functions outside parla.
mentary halls and in the columns OF
the nress. is echoed and re-eehoed
abroad and very frequently IL reflects
on international mterestS Of the coun-
try. occasionally eliminating in the
birth Of wild and ~groundless rumors'
The famous Germano-Japanese rap
prochement story is nothing but a
crys1allizatiop of fabricated rumor ana
lsuppositions, Il.
Viseount Ishii expressed sympathy
with Marcais Saionji who, on his re-
turn from the Paris conference, re-
marked with great regret that occi-
dentals are prone to compare Japan 10
Germany, regarding Japanese as a ma
ton of warlike propensity and strong
military principle like the Germans.
The viscount agreed with Marquis sal
onji in saying hat this 'mlsconcep-
ton of the occidentals was deep
rooted and that the Japanese people
should seek to removeeit. The govern,
ment authorities, he declared, should
pay more attention to the matter,