701.9493/88: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan ( Grew ) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 9—6:22 a.m.]
101. 1. The Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs2 sent for me this morning and informed me of the decision of the Japanese Government to raise its diplomatic mission in China to the status of an Embassy within the next few weeks. He added that his Government “would be only too pleased” if the Government of the United States should decide to take the same step and that the publication of the Japanese decision would be held up for a week or 10 days in case the American Government should wish to take simultaneous action.
2. The Vice Minister said that when the Italian Government recently raised its mission in China to the status of an Embassy, the British Ambassador had raised the point that there had been an understanding among the principal powers interested in China that such a step would not be taken without prior consultation. The Vice Minister said that he had therefore carefully examined the archives and had ascertained that no assurances of consultation had been given by the Japanese Government owing to the fact that for the past 10 years the Foreign Office budget had provided for an Embassy in China and that the Government was only awaiting a favorable moment to put into effect this decision already long ago taken in principle. (See our 220, October 9, 5 p.m., 19343).
3. The Vice Minister, in reply to my inquiry as to the reasons for taking the step at this particular moment, replied that it envisaged no alteration whatever in Japan’s relations with China. As technical point of view the step was taken to permit Ariyoshi4 to return to China with the ambassadorial rank to which he was already entitled, having been formerly Ambassador to Brazil. He could not be expected [Page 509] to remain longer in China as a Minister and they needed his continued services. From the practical point of view the Foreign Office wished its representative to enjoy the greater prestige and influence which would accrue from ambassadorial rank necessary to “keeping in order” the many military, naval and industrial Japanese in China who far exceed in number those of the United States or of other nations. From this point of view, he said, Japan’s position in China is a “special” one.
4. The Vice Minister said he was aware that the Chinese Minister in Tokyo5 would welcome the raising of his mission to Japan to the status of an Embassy and himself to the rank of Ambassador because it would give him more influence at home but Shigemitsu said he did not know whether the Government in Nanking would decide to take reciprocal action.
5. The Vice Minister said that he proposed to convey the foregoing information also to the British, French and German Ambassadors.
Repeated to Peiping.
- Mamoru Shigemitsu.↩
- Foreign Relations, 1934, vol. iii, p. 540.↩
- Akira Ariyoshi, Japanese Minister in China.↩
- Tsiang Tso-pin.↩