The imperial Japanese mission, 1917. a record of the reception throughout the United States of the special mission headed by Viscount Ishii. Together with the exchange of notes embodying the Root-Takahira understanding of 1908 and the Lansing-Ishii agreement of 1917. Foreword by Elihu Root

Front matter

Carnegrie Endowment for International Peace

MISSION TO THE

BANCROFT LIBRARY

Foreword

Both Japan and America owe a real debt to Viscount Ishii and his associates for the way in which they discharged the duty of their recent Mission to America. Only a full and just comprehension of American character and points of view enabled this distinguished Japanese statesman to deliver his message of friendship acceptably to varied audiences in many cities, and, passing beyond the formal expressions of international courtesy, to say many serious things of sub stance and moment regarding the delicate and sometimes difficult relations be tween the two countries without sounding a false note or ever jarring the sensi bilities of his hearers. After this no one can maintain that the differences be tween the East and the West in character and in ways of thinking and feeling need prevent an Eastern and a Western nation from understanding each other well enough to establish a sincere and helpful friendship upon the basis of mutual appreciation and confidence. There have been misunderstandings between the people of Japan and the people of the United States. The people of each country have had vague and mistaken impressions about the purposes and motives of the other country. Many things have been said and printed, and some things have been done under the influence of these misunderstandings and tending to increase them. This does not apply to the two governments. Nothing could be more frank and considerate and friendly than the relations between them. They have not misunderstood each other because they have had the means and the wish to inform themselves, and they have understood and trusted each other.

But in these times peoples and not governments determine what interna tional relations shall be, and among the effects of the Great War already mani fest is a continually strengthening tendency towards the increase of this popular control of international affairs. The world will be vastly the gainer by the change from the old methods of diplomacy, but the change brings its own dangers. The central vice of the old system of diplomacy in camera has been the control of secret selfish policies of aggrandizement in which the interests of the popular mass play little or no part. The danger of popular diplomacy rests in popular misunderstanding of national rights and duties, and the suspicions and resent ment and violent impulses resulting from popular misunderstanding. Trained diplomats usually understand the merits of the controversies in which they are involved, because it is their business to inform themselves ; but there are serious difficulties in the way of such an understanding by the whole people of any country. The great body of the people seldom take an interest in any foreign question until there is some excitement about it. Before the excitement it is hard for those who know the facts and the law to get a hearing, and after the

IV FOREWORD

excitement has come it is apt to be too late. It is very difficult for the public to test the correctness of statements about the facts and the legal rights on which international controversies depend, and they are accordingly liable to be misled by misrepresentation, sometimes by mistaken ignorance and sometimes with a ma licious purpose. Such a purpose acquiring control of a few newspapers may do infinite harm in the relations between two countries which have no real reason whatever for any feeling towards each otfier but confidence and friendship. Sometimes the misleading motive is in a demagogue who seeks office or fortune through public assaults upon foreigners, and sometimes it is in the policy of nations who wish to enhance their own power by promoting discord among others.

Among the maxims which Frederick the Great left for the guidance of his successors are these:

If possible, the powers of Europe should be made envious against one another, in order to give occasion for a coup when the opportunity arises.

I understand by the word Policy that one must make it his study to deceive others. That is the way to get the better of them.

Form alliances only in order to sow animosity.

It is apparent that the policy thus expressed and always followed by the reigning house of Prussia has been applied to mislead the peoples of Japan and the United States and to make trouble between the two countries.

In a situation which involved such elements of difficulty Viscount Ishii has applied the force of high intelligence at precisely the right point. The novelty of his undertaking attracted popular attention. The frankness and charm of his expression awakened kindly interest, and the authentic character of his statements carried conviction. The speeches he made and the responses they elicited have been of the highest value to both countries. Taken as a whole, they constitute a great event in international history, and their influence will be long continued. To contribute towards that end by preserving the speeches and responses in per manent and accessible form this volume is printed.

ELIHU ROOT.

February 8, 1918.

For the collection of material and for the editing of the present volume the Division of Intercourse and Education is under heavy obligation to Mr. T. lyenaga, Director of the East and West News Bureau, and Mr. Joseph I. C. Clarke of New York, which obligation is gratefully acknowledged.

Contents

FOREWORD BY ELIHU ROOT PAGE

I. THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE MISSION 1

Formation and Personnel 1

Index To Speakers . . . 127

I

Formation and Personnel

Upon the declaration by the United States that a state of war existed between the Emperor of Germany and his government on one side and the United States on the other, the various governments of the Allied Powers also at war with Germany, hailing the potency of the new entrant, at once took measures to draw as tightly as possible the common bond against the common enemy. In addition to the ordinary methods of official communication through the chancelleries, the gravity of the great interests involved seemed to call for something more direct, more personal, and led to the appointment of govern mental missions composed of the highest types of officials charged with extend ing the warm hand of friendship to America. At the same time these missions were advised to confer in 'the fullest intimacy upon all the problems of the war, whether purely military, economic, or financial, to the best results for the Allied cause. The Mission from France, which included Marshal Joffre and Premier Viviani, and the British Mission, headed by Arthur James Balfour, were followed by missions from Italy and Russia, and it was quite in the regular order that the Emperor of Japan should commend a similar course to Premier Marshal Count Terauchi, leading to the appointment of an Imperial Japanese Mission to the United States with Viscount Kikujiro Ishii at its head. This appointment of a skilled and highly trained diplomat of winning personality as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary was warmly applauded in Japan.

In the fifty-first year of his age, the Viscount had been in the public service almost since his graduation in 1890 from the Law School of the Imperial University of Tokio. His first diplomatic post was with the Japanese Legation at Paris in 1891, becoming third secretary in 1893. In 1896 he was consul at Ninsen and second secretary of the Japanese Legation at Peking in 1897, to be promoted to first secretary in the following year. It was in this position that he sustained the memorable siege of the legations in Peking during the Boxer uprising. Recalled to Tokio, he was made secretary at the Foreign Office and chief of the Telegraph Section. Promoted in 1904 to the directorship of the Commerce Bureau, he was dispatched to San Francisco and Vancouver in 1907 in connection with the anti- Japanese trouble there. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1908, he was in a short time made Ambassador to Paris, whence he was recalled to take the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1915-1916. Here were indications of a many sided diplomat that personal contact always bore out with something invariably added to the account to be credited to personal charm and high character. He was named Baron in 1912, created Viscount in 1916, being at the same time nominated by the Emperor to membership in the House of Peers.

The standing of his associates was also notable. Vice Admiral Takeshita had been with the Japanese Legation at Washington as an attache; Major Gen eral Sugano was distinguished in the modern Japanese army; Masanao Hanihara, Consul General at San Francisco, was a trusted and experienced officer; Matsuzo Nagai. Secretary of the Foreign Office, had served at New York, Washington and San Francisco; Commander Ando and Lieutenant Colonel Tanikawa were brilliant men in their classes.

At a meeting and banquet of the America- Japan Society held in Tokio on July 6, attended by Premier Terauchi and the members of his cabinet, some thing of a formal good-by and Godspeed was given to the Mission amid cheers and cries of "Banzai!"