811.5294/140: Telegram
The Charge in Japan ( Bell ) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 5—3:10 p.m.]
572. My November 4, 6 p.m. Practically all vernacular papers have registered their views in connection with the passage of the California initiative. In the moderate and pro-Government papers the comments have on the whole been sane and optimistic. The efforts of the civil Government, particularly the Foreign Office, in the way of making the situation clear to the public have in no small measure contributed to this result. For instance, the Chuo organ of the Seiyukai Party, minimizes the losses that the Japanese residents will suffer, pointing incidentally to the fact that Japanese can continue farming on the percentage basis, and alludes [Page 19] to the favorable prospects of a satisfactory solution through the conclusion of a new agreement. There is no doubt however that public opinion deeply resents the action of California and is inclined to attribute it to racial more than economic grounds. Manager [sic] sensational and anti-Government press having for the present exhausted its stock of vituperation against the United States devotes itself chiefly to urging the nation to assume a resolute attitude toward the question and to taking the Japanese Government to task for not having made due efforts in advance towards “dispelling the misunderstanding of Californians”
There is no little gratification at the defeat of Senator Phelan9 but one journal admits it affords no comfort for the passage of the initiative paragraph. Marquis Okuma10 is quoted as saying “While there are some people who advocate war these are merely the words of shallow minded people. Americans are people who respect the voice of public opinion, and if we fight with fair honorable arguments, there are no Americans who will not yield to justice”
There is much more comment in the press on the result of the Presidential elections than on the passage of the initiative, chiefly in connection with the effect on Japan. The general assumption is that the Republican Party is more given to positive and imperialistic policies than the Democratic and therefore greater encroachment upon Japan may be expected in future. This is the attitude particularly of the Yamato but another imperialistic organ the Kokumin cordially welcomes the Republican regime hoping it will readopt what it calls the policy of friendship to Japan of Roosevelt and Taft and excuses the unfriendly utterances of Republican senators as being dictated merely by political motives.
As to the California question, vernacular press in general does not believe that the change in administration will cause any alteration in policy on the ground that the views of the two parties are practically identical.