894.00/543
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 4.]
Sir: In informal conversation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs after the dinner which he gave on April 10 for the American Economic Mission, Mr. Hirota told me that when he had recently announced that there would never be war while he was in office he had rather expected an outburst from some of the reactionaries, but the truth was no one dared to raise a voice because they knew that he was directly expressing the views of the Emperor. Mr. Hirota said that there were reactionary elements in Japan but that the “democratic” elements were stronger and were growing in strength. The political parties are looking for a leader who will command the confidence of the public and he said that he was today approached by one of the parties in this connection; he however refused positively to have anything [Page 120] to do with party politics because he must represent the nation and must therefore keep out of domestic politics and avoid making political enemies or having political ambitions. He emphasized his conviction that the “democratic” influence in the country is steadily growing in strength.
While there is some talk of a waning influence on the part of the military, I am not yet prepared to confirm Mr. Hirota’s stated conviction that the so-called “democratic” influence in Japan is steadily growing in strength. The Embassy in due course will endeavor to analyze this situation.
Respectfully yours,