May 7, 1934 archives

Note that the Japanese were using the American colonization of the Philippines as a justification of sorts for their colonization of Korea. I dare say most Americans are not only NOT aware that the United States has been a colonizer, but also that it was at times, arguably, a brutal colonizer. Probably considerably less than most colonizers, though.

Excerpted from "Calm After Calls"

This business of making chests and punching pillows was left to dynamic Yosuke Matsuoka. He is as unofficial a spokesman as the Foreign Office could desire being no longer even a member of the Diet. But China and the world know that he is always close to the government's ear, that he once served as Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and that it was Chief Delegate Yosuke Matsuoka who marched the Japanese delegation out of the League of Nations 14 months ago (TIME. March 6, 1933). Last week he wrote:

". . . France could seize the extensive territory of Indo-China and extend her 'sphere of influence' up into the Province of Yunnan in China proper, and no criticism comes from Europe or America, but when Japan objects to French extension of possession to two small sparsely populated islands . . . from which our people have long obtained guano, American and European newspapers . . . state that this is further evidence of our aggressive intentions. . . .

"America may acquire the Philippine Islands, Asiatic territory 6,000 miles away from her shores, but when Japan takes control of Korea, a country smaller in territory than the Philippines and only 100 miles away from her island borders, the action is denounced. . . . But in fact we, being Asiatics, are far more capable of dealing with other Asiatics in their best interests than are Americans or Europeans. For example, in bringing order out of chaos in Korea we killed far fewer people than the Americans killed in suppressing the independence movement in the Philippines. . . ."
As Sir John Simon soothingly assured the House of Commons that Japan had virtually withdrawn her claims in regard to China, Secretary Hull made public the "substance" of a statement he had instructed Ambassador Grew to deliver to the Japanese Foreign Office. Politely but forcefully it warned Japan against trying to establish hegemony in the Far East by stubbing other people's toes. The warning: ". . . No nation can, without the assent of other nations concerned, rightfully endeavor to make conclusive its will in a situation where there are involved the rights, the obligations and the legitimate interests of other sovereign states." When on May Day the Japanese Government finally published the Hirota note in Japan, it pointedly ignored Secretary Hull's declaration.