701.9493/95
The Minister in China ( Johnson ) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 15.]
Sir: I have the honor to comment on the motives of the Japanese in elevating at this time their Legation in China to an Embassy.
There would seem to be two probable primary motives for this act, neither of them being concerned with the question whether China is [Page 515] approaching a degree in national development which would make Japanese representation by an ambassador more fitting than representation by a minister. In fact, I have heard more than one Japanese diplomatic representative speak recently most deprecatingly of the security of the National Government.
- (1)
- Mr. Ariyoshi held the rank of ambassador in his own Foreign Office rating while serving as Minister to China. According to Japanese sources, if he had continued at his post in China as Minister after June 30 of this year, he would have lost his ambassadorial rating as his name would by then have been on the list of ambassadors waiting for assignment to embassies for three years, the limit of time which a name may remain on that list. This fact very probably influenced the Japanese Foreign Minister in his decision to raise the Legation to an embassy prior to June 30. If Mr. Ariyoshi had continued as Minister to China his prestige would have suffered through the loss of ambassadorial rating, while at the same time he might have been unwilling to serve longer in China as a minister. His transfer to another country where he could retain his ambassadorial rank would probably not be acceptable to the Japanese Foreign Minister as Mr. Ariyoshi has been working with some success for an improvement in Sino-Japanese relations by diplomatic means and his departure would perhaps delay the growing rapprochement between Japan and China, a development in which the Japanese Foreign Minister is deeply concerned.
- (2)
- It is also understood that Mr. Ariyoshi, during his present visit to Tokyo, urged upon the authorities there the desirability of raising the Legation to an Embassy for the purpose of improving Chinese feeling toward Japan, his point of view being that the general atmosphere of the relations of the two countries must be improved as a preliminary to more concrete developments. According to Japanese informants, certain sections of the Japanese military were opposed to taking the step for such a purpose, advocating that the act should take place only as a quid pro quo for some desired concession from the Chinese.
There is a third possible motive for the step, namely, to strengthen Japan’s diplomats in China vis-à-vis Japan’s military. There is a report, which I have not yet verified, that the conference of Japanese diplomatic and consular officers held at Shanghai from April 8 to 10 was held two months earlier than originally scheduled. The purpose of the conference was to discover the effects of recent diplomatic measures to improve Sino-Japanese relations; the Japanese military were sending to Japan pessimistic reports in this regard; by holding the conference earlier than intended, the Japanese diplomatic representatives were able to counteract those pessimistic reports with the [Page 516] more optimistic findings of their conference. In a similar way, the raising of the Legation to an Embassy has tended to improve the reputation of the Japanese diplomats working in China by showing a concrete step in the peaceful rapprochement which is in process of development. Particularly it may be presumed that their reputation will be enhanced by the success of Japanese diplomacy in persuading the United States and Great Britain to elevate their legations to embassies, and, to this extent, may strengthen them vis-à-vis the more pragmatic military.
I should add that there is a report current that Mr. Ariyoshi may resign from his new post as ambassador within a short time after his return to China next month (June) for reasons which are as yet obscure.
Respectfully yours.
Second Secretary of Legation