Office of the Historian

500.A15A5/107: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State 92

Tokyo, June 22, 1934—8 p.m.
[Received June 22—1:35 p.m.]

132. Captain Shimomura, Attaché to naval general staff as head of American section, called today on Naval Attaché93 to obtain passport visa to visit the United States. He plans to sail June 28 in order to have frank talks with naval authorities in Washington and London on the issues likely to come up at the Naval Conference and has asked Naval Attaché to arrange private very confidential interview with Admiral Standley. He requests that his visit abroad be kept confidential as very few Japanese naval officers know of it. In view of the fact that Captain Shimomura is a member of the Naval Committee working with the Foreign Office and the War Department on Japan’s policy at the coming Naval Conference, the Naval Attaché considers his remarks in their conversation today as the first authoritative statement we have had with regard to Japan’s naval policy. I therefore believe it important at this juncture to cable the following summary:

1.
Captain Shimomura stated positively and firmly that no Japanese delegates who signed a treaty agreeing to the present ratio could return to Japan and live and that no government which had so agreed could survive. If the United States insists in the preliminary conversations on maintaining the present ratio it would be no use to hold the conference next year. This has now become a national issue in Japan. If parity with the United States and England is conceded in principle he did not believe that Japan would build up to it. Japan does desire more tonnage in submarines, destroyers and cruisers for adequate national defense. The principle of global tonnage not yet decided but might be acceptable. Abolition of carriers will probably not be asked.
2.
Japan does not desire political questions in discussion of the London Treaty as that treaty is purely naval. In the main conference Japan may propose that “Manchukuo be left as it is, unrecognized, the present status to stay”. Japan has no ambitions on the Continent of Asia or the Philippines and absolutely supports the open door policy. Would like to have the Nine Power Treaty94 revised to leave Manchuria as it is and include the present provisions for equal rights to all in China. Japan will not start a war with Russia but of course will fight if attacked. The same is true of China.
3.
Japan is chiefly concerned with a naval agreement with the United States at the coming conference and is not so much concerned with England. He explained that “the British Empire is already an old man”.
4.
Nontechnical naval advisers are being sent to the preliminary conversations in London as Japan does not expect technical subjects to be discussed. No special instructions, at least by official messenger, have been sent to the Japanese Ambassador in London.
5.
Japan does not care where the next conference is held.
6.
Admiral Osumi, the Minister of the Navy, will be the chief naval delegate next year but this is still strictly confidential.

The Naval Attaché gathered from the conversation that the principle of parity with the United States is all important and believes that if such a concession could be worked out Japan would accept approximately her present tonnage with the right to build whatever types she desires within that tonnage.

Please communicate to office of Naval Intelligence as from the Naval Attaché.

Grew
  1. Repeated to the Ambassador in Great Britain as telegram No. 260, June 22, 6 p.m.↩
  2. Capt. Fred F. Rogers.↩
  3. Treaty between the United States, Belgium, the British Empire, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and Portugal, signed at Washington, February 6, 1922, Foreign Relations, 1922, vol. i, p. 276.↩