Executive Agreement Series No. 25
894.8561/14
The Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs (Shidehara) to the American Chargé in Japan (Neville)
Monsieur le Chargé d’Affaires: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Embassy’s note dated February 13, 1931, informing me, with reference to the arrangement made between our two Governments in 1922 in respect of ship load-line certificates, that a law entitled “An Act to Establish Load-lines for American vessels, and for other purposes” has been enacted, and became effective September 2, 1930, and inquiring whether or not the Japanese Government would be willing to continue the above-mentioned arrangement of 1922 pending the coming into force of the International Ship Load-line Convention, which was signed at London on July 5, 1930.
When the notes were exchanged between the Japanese and American Governments in 1922, no ship load-line law had been enacted in the United States, and the question of the recognition by the United States of load-line certificates of Japanese ships was not raised. Consequently, no definite arrangement was made regarding this matter, the Japanese Government merely undertaking unilaterally to recognize certificates issued by the American Bureau of Shipping, pending the enactment in the United States of a law regulating ship load-lines.
I wish to be assured, and request that you indicate in reply, that you have no objection to my interpreting your note, above-mentioned, to mean that pending the coming into force of the International Ship Load-line Convention, the Japanese Government will continue the arrangement of 1922 while the American Government will also recognize as valid load-line certificates duly issued by the competent Japanese authorities or by officially designated shipping associations, and their correspondng marks.
Pending the receipt of your reply, the Japanese Government will continue to regard the arrangement of 1922 as effective, and I trust that the American Government will also recognize as valid the ship load-line certificates issued by the competent Japanese authorities or by officially designated shipping associations, and their corresponding marks.
In compliance with your request, I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of the laws and ordinances, together with a copy in translation, relating to ship load-lines.
I avail myself [etc.]