Evening star., 1923-03-30
j, S.-JAPAN CANCEL
LANS|NG-lSH|| PACT
Action Taken by Mutual
Agreement Between the
Two Governments.
SOURCE OF CONTROVERSY
Relations Declared to Be Based on
New Understanding Through
Nine-Power Treaty.
SOURCE OF CONTROVERSY
BY the Associated Press


The celebrated Lansing-Ishii agree
ment. by which the United States in
1917 recognized Japan's special in
terests" in China, has been Cancelled
hy mutual agreement Of the Wash
ington and Toxic governments.
Diplomatic negotiations between
the two governments have resulted
in a new understanding. based pri-
rnarily on the provisions of the n.ne
power pact. written at the Washing
ton armoments conference. and re
garding as applying more effectually
'the principles of the open door or
equality Of opportunity in China.
Source of Controversy.
In disposing of the Lansing-lshii
agreement and substituting for 1t the
principles of the document subscribed
to by the nine powerS-the United
States, Japan, China, Great Britain
France, Italy, Portugal. The Neither
lands and Belgium-the American and
Japanese governments accept parity
of interest in China and az the same
time do away with an agreement that
was a source of controversy from the
very day 1t was announced
The negotiations for abandonment
Of the agreement were successfully
carried on in Toxic as one OF the last
official acts of Charles Il. Warren OF
Detroit. the retiring ambassador to
Japan. Diplomatists regard the
achievement as the capstone to
long series of negotiations conducted
by the retiring ambassador which
have placed the diplomat" affairs OF
the United States with regard to the
far east in more favorable Situa-
tlon than they have occupied since
questions between the United States
and Japan began coming into con-
troversy.
Diplomatic Sensation.
The Lansing -Ishii agreement was
signed by Secretary Lansing and Am
bassador Ishii on November .. 1917,
in the form Of an executive under
standing. and as such it became i'm
mediately effective without the for
mality OF ratification. Negotiated
with the utmost secrecy Oh the part
of both governments, it created one OF
the outstanding diplomatic sensations
or the war days when news Of IL first
reached the outside world III press re
ports from Pekn on November 5.
The Chinese government had rot
received beforehand the slightest in
= tirlation that the agreement had been
It's first information was received
from the japanese ambass ssador in
Peking when he delivered translated
copies Of the agreement at the Picking
foreign office Its first action was to
inquire at the American legation
whether the reported agreement was
authentic and. at that time, no lega-
ton official had been Informed OF
The State Department. however.
soon confirmed the report and pro-
tests were filed by direction of the
Peking government in both wash
ington and Toxic.
Differences quickly developed be-
tween the Japanese and American
translations, with particular refer
ence to the phrase. special inter
ests." The Japanese contended that
the United States had recognized
retary Lansing disagreed with that
Interpretation. and the differences re
manned unsettled throughout the life
of the agreement. The controversial
phrase was contained in the follow
ing paragraph of the agreement:
"The governments of the United
States and Japan recognize that ter
ritorial propinquity creates special re-
seQuently, the government of the
United States recognizes that Japan
has special interests in China. par
ticularly In the part to which her pos
sessions are contiguous
Ambiguity Removed
Cancellation of the agreement at
this time is regarded by American
officials as fortunate. for the reason
that 1t removes all am mbiguity from
the language of existing conventions
between the United States and Japan
respecting China. These are the Root
Takahira agreement. which includes
an arrangement that neither Japan
nor the United States shall take any
steps with reference to China without
consulting each other and the nine
power treaty, which provides that:
with a view to applying more
effectually the principles of the open
door or equality of opportunity in
China for the trade and industry of
all nations, the contracting powers,
other than China, agreed that they
will not seek, nor support their re-
spective nations in seeking
ANY arrangement which might
purport to establish in favor of their
Interests, any general superiority of
rights with respect to commercial or
economic development in any desig-
mated region of China:
ANY such monopoly or preference
as would deprive the nationals of any
other power of the right OF under
taking any legitimate trade or in
dustry in China or of participat ting
with the Chinese government, or with
any local authority. in any category
reason of its scope. duration or
geographical extent is calcula ted
to frustrate the practical applica-
1ion of the principle of equal oppor-
tunity. "
President's Stand.
President Harding held recently, in
a statement submitted to the Senate
in response to resolution calling
for information concerning the
Lansing -IShii agreement, that the
nine-power treaty would completely
set at rest" any question which might
have been raised under that agree
ment. He said:
Happily, as a result of the (Wash-
inston) conference. it Is not now nee
essary to consider any possible am
biguity in the expressions used in
the Lansing-Ishii agreement of 1917
as any question which they might
have raised has been completely set
the United States and Japan are par
ties"
The President also pointed out that
he indorsed the Interpretation which
Secretary Lansing had given the
words special interests
"It has been the view of the gov
ernment of the United States. ne
said, that this reference to special
interests in China did not recognize
any right or claim inc )nsfstent with
the sovereignty or political inde"
pendence OF China or with our OPEN
door policy" adding that the nego-
tiation of the nine-power treaty was
} itself the moxt formal declaration Of