The daily times., 1921-07-26
JAPAN WOULD NOT
BIND HERSELF TO
DISCUSS ANYTHING
PROGRAM SETTLED LATER
America Has Not Specified
What Subjects Will Be Dis
cussed Except i'm a General
Way - Disarmament and
Peace in the F ar East; Ja-
pan Accepts Invitation.
SETTLED LATER
(By David Lawrence).
Copyright, 1921 by The Daily


Times).
Washington, July 25.-Japan is
ready to accept Americas invitation
to participate in the disarmament
conference.
In accepting the invitation, Japan
does not bind herself to discuss any
thing which she wishes to exclude
from the scope of the conference
such as questions relating to Shan
tung or Yap or other matters which
Japan may consider to have been
closed by the time the conference be-
gins.
America has not specified what
subject will be discussed except in a
general way-disarmament and
peace in the Far East.
These statements from officials of
our government who are in touch
with the negotiations describe the
status of the interchanges between
Japan and the United States thus
far.
Our government originally asked
all the powers Informally if an in
vitation to a disarmament confer
ence would be acceptable. That is
diplomacy's way of avoiding a direct
turn down. The informal inquiries re-
suited in agreeable statements from
all the powers and formal invitations
we're promptly sent. Japan is just now
replying informally that an invita-
tion would be acceptable. After that
formal invitation must be sent and
a formal reply received. Japan nat
urally wanted. to know what would
be discussed at the conference and
America politely said that was
something all the powers including
Japan would decide when once the
invitations we're accepted all around.
So when japan accepts America s
invitation the real discussion begins
as to what shall be included or ex-
cluded. The ''agenda" which is the
diplomatic term for program will
have to be settled before the confer
ence begins. It will be the aim of the
United States to make this agenda as
broad as possible SO that every
question which has a practical rela-
tionship to the future peace of the
Far East may be discussed. It will be
to Japan's interest to avoid discuss
ion of her rights in China as granted
her by the Versailles pact and previ-
Gus treaties with China.
Dispatches from London and other
capitols predicting that Japan would
raise the question of immigration
and demand declaration in favor of
racial equality as she did at the Paris
conference are regarded. here as in
spired by newspapers rather than the
Japanese government for officials say
tn Japanese government hasn't raised
any such issue.
Inasmuch as the agenda will be ar
ranged by cable ahead of time and
within the realm of secret inter
changes the prospects are that by the
time the program is announced the
racial discrimination question will
have been disposed of so it will not
be an obstacle to the conference. 1t
will be far easier for Japanese public
opinion to understand the complete
omission of the racial equality issue
than to have the great powers dis
cuss such moot point mad be fore
ed to the expression Of varying opin-
ions. Japanese pride would rather not
have the powers publicly discuss such
la question. The Japanese consider
themselves racially the equal of any
other race and to petition for de-
claration on the subject might seem
to be expressing a doubt whether
such a right of equality is actually
possessed. Japan gains more in the
long run by assuming that she is the
equal racially OF amy other nation and
Continued on page 8 this Section. }