Evening star., 1924-04-18
BREAK IN JAPAN'S RANK
WITH POWERS is SEEN
IN NEW EXCLUSION ACT
CONTINUED from First Page }

clause seriously affects Japan's stand
ing with all other nations as well as
with the United States. Beyond that
il is viewed from entirely opposite
angles on the two sides of the Pa
cific.
Since the treaty OF Portsmouth in
1904, during the world war as one OF
the allies, at the Washington confer
ence as one of the hVe great powers;
in the league of nations and in all
world affairs Japan has been accept
ed as the equal of each of them. the
exclusion clause creates a dlplomauc
precedent for setting Japan In a sep
arate class. Whlle the immigration
from other countries is restricted by
a uniform percentage, the door Is
brusquely closed to Japan. This OBJ
viously will affect Japans standing
with other nations, though the grave
consequences may not DC as pro
nounced as her diplomats anticipate.
Japan,iS quite ready, even anxious,
to promise the United states TO stop
all immigra merchants,
tourists and proressional classes TEN
porarily in the country, of course, not
being considered immigrants. This
il is understood, has been impressed
on the State Department.
Agreement Outside Record.
It would be an agreement outside
the record and Japan would consider
it more as an act act s.ga Of tTiendhn,p tba ana
humiliation before her world col
leagues by being placed in the least
desirable class in the immigration
bill.
ment' was such an understanding.
Nations like individuals who have
had a special privilege-for instance,
railroad pass-are more indignant
when that concession is revoked than
they would be if it had been refused
to them in the first place. The bill.
naturally, abrogates the "gentlemen's
agreement"
TOn this side of the Atlantic it is
difficult to see why the Australian
exclusion act did not arouse the same
furore in Japan as the pending Amer
lean bill. In the first place, Japan
regards Australia as only a portion
of the British empire and accepts its
colonial policies much as it does the
Legislation of California, neither re-
fiecting the attitude of the entire ma
ton. More than that, Great Britain
has been the particular ally of Japan,
by treaty and tradition. Even with
these allowances, the action of Aus
tralia has seriously strained the Jap
anese friendship for England.
Feel Grateful for Help.
While the attitude of California
has tended to offset both the friend
Iiness between Japan and the United
States, which the Washington con-
ference solidified, and the gratitude
of the Japanese people for the Amer
lean assistance in the earthquake
disaster of only a few months ago,
the exclusion bill will make these
kindly sentiments merely a memory.
To those who are not sticklers for
diplomatic phraseology, this and the
tangible results which follow are
easily interpreted as grave conse-
quence."
The United States and China are
the two commercial assets of Japan
They are also Japans two neighbors,
though the width of intervening
ocean differs. Japan's interest in
world affairs is practically summed
up in her relations to these two
countries. In the league of nations
Japan seldom raises her voice unless
it relates directly to her or to her
relations with the two countries or
possibly Siberia.
Toward China, since the Washing
ton conference, Japan has outdone
the United States in policy of con-
ciliation The United States, in addi-
ton to being the market for close
to 40 per cent Of Japan's exports,