793.003/92
The Japanese Embassy to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire
The Japanese Government are much gratified by the friendly invitation of the American Government to express their views on the question of the revision of treaties concluded with China. While it has been and will remain the policy of the Japanese Government to extend all possible assistance to China in her effort to realize her national aspirations, they would at the same time expect that China, on her part, should endeavour to adjust her foreign relations gradually and through proper methods. The difference between the Japanese and Chinese Governments arising from the repudiation by the latter of the Sino-Japanese Commercial Treaty not being settled, the Japanese Government find themselves for the moment in a position somewhat different from that of either the United States or the British Empire who has no such question pending with China. As has been early declared, however, the Japanese Government are prepared to enter into negotiations on the subject of treaty revision, if the Chinese Government do not insist upon repudiating the existing Treaty, and they are confident that ways and means will before long be found for the relief of this apparently difficult situation.
In negotiating the revision of the Treaty with China, the Japanese Government would not attempt to confine the scope of modification to the matters provided for in Article 26 of the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation of 1896, namely, to the customs tariff and the commercial articles of that Treaty, but would be ready to discuss generally such questions as those of customs affairs, consular jurisdiction, the navigation of inland waters, the coasting trade, etc., upon all of which they would endeavour to reach a satisfactory settlement. Briefly stated, their attitude would be:—
- a)
- regarding customs, to recognize tariff autonomy on conditions which would be adequate to prevent too violent changes being caused in the existing economic relations between Japan and China;
- b)
- regarding consular jurisdiction, to discuss its abolition on the basis of the recommendations of the Committee on Extraterritoriality of 1926;
- c)
- regarding the navigation of inland waters and the coasting trade, to settle the question on the principle of reciprocal recognition.
While it is desired that all of these matters should speedily be settled to the satisfaction of both China and Japan, the Japanese Government would be ready to conclude separate arrangements on the several subjects according as agreement may be reached.
The Powers interested, from a spirit of friendship and sympathy toward China, have made unselfish efforts, as they did at the Washington Conference, the Tariff Conference of Peking and the sitting of the Committee on Extraterritoriality, to promote the attainment by China of her national aspirations. The Japanese Government, who heartily co-operated in all these international efforts, would be animated by the same spirit in the coming negotiations on the subject of treaty revision. The recent tendency, however, of the Chinese Government to persist only in their zealous endeavours to attain their desired objects while neglecting the fulfillment of the promises which they have on various occasions given in the past will not have escaped the notice of the Powers who have the main interest in China. The Japanese Government can not but express the hope that the nations concerned, in lending assistance to China for the realization of her aspirations, may not neglect that fact and will endeavour to secure that in her attempt at liquidating her foreign relations, China does not entirely disregard actual conditions and commitments.
The Japanese Government, who are greatly interested in China and who hope for the sound and genuine development of this neighboring country, attach great importance to this last point and are confident that the American Government will find themselves in agreement with them in this respect.