Abstract
In a Single line, led by Yosuke Matsuoka, the Japanese delegation filed out of the Assembly Hall. The other delegates watched while the great doors closed slowly and noiselessly behind the gentlemen who had just left. There followed a few moments of uncomprehen-ding confusion, for no one was quite sure if the Japanese had spoken their last word. Then the Assembly President, Mr. Hymans, grasp-ing the appropriateness of his decision, moved to adjourn the morning Session. The date was February 24, 1933, and the Japanese delegation to the League of Nations had just left the Assembly meeting for the last time.1 On March 27 the Japanese government officially notified the League of its withdrawal and thereby set the seal on its complete isolation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
This account is based on Paul Schmidt, Statist auf diplomatischer Bühne (Bonn: Athenäum Verlag, 1949), pp. 252–253.
The Valor of Ignorance by Homer Lea is a product of this time, predicting war between the United States and Japan.
For the general political events mentioned in this chapter, reference may be made to the detailed history texts by Frank P. Chambers, et al., This Age of Conflict (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1950), and
Chitoshi Yanaga, Japan since Perry (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1949), passim.
Racial trouble in California before the First World War, and Australian immigration measures may have made Japan anxious for a legal basis to oppose such discrimination.
Hawaii and Singapore were exempted from these limitations. See R. L. Buell, The Washington Conference (New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1922), and
Yamato Ichihashi, The Washington Conference and After (Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1928), passim.
Walter Fleming, “Der gelbe Handel droht,” Zeitwende, IX (1933), pp. 465–469. A factor which may well have contributed to this export boom was that Japan had on hand a stock of raw materials that had been purchased before devaluation.
Survey of International Affairs, 1933, by Arnold J. Toynbee (London: Oxford University Press, 1934), p. 509. It is interesting to note that Germany voted with the others to condemn Japan. See this admission in Dokumente der deutschen Politik, edited by F. A. Six (Berlin: Junker und Dünnhaupt Verlag, 1940), VI, p. 75.
Survey, 1933, op. cit., p. 509.
Loc. cit.
International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Analysis of Documentary Evidence (International Prosecution Section), IPS Doc. 472. For the visit, see also The New York Times, March 10, 1933, p. 11. The assertion of one author that during his German trip Matsuoka paid a visit to Berlin and was received by Hindenburg and Hitler does not correspond with events. See V. S. Haven, Gentlemen of Japan (Chicago: Ziff—Davis Publishing Co., 1944), p. 26.
See the extensive description called “National-Socialist Germany and her Neighbors” in the Survey of International Affairs of 1933.
Gordon Craig, The Diplotnats, 1919–1939 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1953), pp. 409 ff.
See the excellent accounts by John W. Wheeler–Bennett, Disarmament and Security since Locarno (London: G. Allen & Unwin, Ltd., 1932), and The Disarmament Deadlock (London: L. G. Routledge & Sons, 1934), passim.
Survey, 1933, op. cit, p. 114.
Ambassador Dodd’s Diary, 1933–1938, edited by M. and W. Dodd (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1941), pp. 222, 223, 226, 248, 250 ff; and Joseph C. Grew, Ten Years in Japan (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1944), pp. 155, 188.
See the testimony of Herbert von Dirksen, Moscow, Tokyo, London (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1952), pp. 140–141, 170–171.
On the general background of German-Japanese history, see also Kurt Meissner, Deutsche in Japan, 1639–1939 (Stuttgart: Deutsche Verlagsanstalt, 1940), passim.
Yanaga, op. cit., pp. 167, 168, 170.
Auswärtiges Amt, Übersicht über die Handelspolitische Lage Deutschlands Ende 1932 (Berlin: 1933), p. 69.
The translated version is to be found as: Die Stimme eines Japaners, “Japan muss den deutschen Anspruch auf Gleichberechtigung unterstützen,” Ostasiatische Rundschau, XIV (February 1, 1933), pp. 49–50.
Peace and War — United States Foreign Policy, 1931–1941 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1943), pp. 222–223.
20a For new evidence, see Documents on German Foreign Policy, 1918–1945, Series C (1933–1937) (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1957), I, pp. 60–61.
Frank W. Iklé, German-Japanese Relations, 1936–1940 (Berkeley: University of California, 1953), p. 12. With permission of the author I have been able to utilize this manuscript dissertation which is based on the State Department archives.
Peace and War, op. cit., p. 255.
Hitlers Tischgespräche, 1941–1942t edited by H. Picker (Bonn: Athenäum Verlag, 1951), pp. 60–61, 97.
Manfred Zapp, “Die nationalsozialistische Bewegung in Japan,” Preussische Jahrbücher, CCXXXII (June, 1933), pp. 193–199.
Dr. von Leers, “Aussenpolitische Lage,” Volk im Werden, Heft 4 (1933), pp. 1–6.
Dr. von Leers, “Japans mandschurisches Grossreich,” Wille und Macht, I (October 15, 1933), pp. 6–10. In an earlier issue another writer had regarded a future Japanese—American war in the Pacific possible, but he considered it as quite a cheerful prospect (for Germany, of course).
See G. Kaufman, “Jenseits Europas,” Wille und Macht, I (September 1, 1933), pp. 10–13.
“Der Konflikt im Fernen Osten,” Die Tat, XXV (November, 1933), pp. 669–672. A few months later, another article came to substantially the same conclusions. See Hans Thierbach, “Japan und die Sowjetunion,” Die Tat, XXV (February, 1934), pp. 876–883.
D. A. Meurer, “Japans Weltstellung und die Rolle der Seemacht in seiner neuesten Geschichte,” Marine-Rundschau, XXXVIII (1933), pp. 337–347. This was one of the more outspoken articles.
“Japans Rüstungen,” Militär—Wochenblatt, CXVII (February 11, 1933), pp. 989–990.
Hans von Seeckt, Deutschland zwischen West und Ost (Hamburg: Hanseatische Verlagsanstalt, 1933), pp. 44–45.
Giselher Wirsing, Deutschland in der Weltpolitik (Jena: Eugen Diederichs Verlag, 1933), pp. 53–54.
M. H. Hollenhorst, “Japan stösst vor,” Volk und Reich, IX (October, 1933), pp. 905–910. See also the article by H. Prehn-Dewitz, “Japans Dumping auf den Weltmärkten,” Deutsche Rundschau, (October, 1933), pp. 23–26; and
F. Schaum, Nationalsozialistische Aussenpolitik (Magdeburg: Trommler Verlag, 1934), pp. 80–81, who both pursue this argument further to the point where international tension in Europe is credited to the commercial competition of Japan, a non—European State.
As quoted in Paul Merker, Deutschland — sein oder nicht sein? (Mexico: El libro libre, 1945), II, p. 133. This source should be used with great caution, for the author represents an extremist point of view.
International Military Tribunal, Trial of the Major War Criminals (Nuremberg: Secretariat of the Tribunal, 1947), X, pp. 239–241.
M. Momo, Hitler Spricht! (Tokyo: Verlag Schobundo, 1934), Foreword. The document reproduced on p. 44 is a facsimile of the one which was published by Professor Momo, and its mistakes are to be found in the original version.
Dirksen, op. cit., pp. 117–118, 142; see also De Witt C. Poole, “Light on Nazi Foreign Policy,” Foreign Affairs, XXV (October, 1946), pp. 130–154. Mr. Poole states that von Dirksen also saw Ribbentrop at this time, but the Ambassador himself makes no mention of this in his memoirs.
Poole, op. cit., p. 135.
Ostasiatische Rundschau, (November 1, 1933), p. 474, as quoted in L. K. Rosinger, “Germany’s Far Eastern Policy under Hitler,” Pacific Affairs, XI (December, 1938), pp. 421–432.
As cited in Ikle, op. cit., p. 15.
Walter Hagemann, Publizistik im Dritten Reich (Hamburg: Hansischer Gildenverlag, 1948), p. 248.
Loc. cit.
“Interview mit dem Japanischen Botschafter, Dr. M. Nagai,” Ostasiatische Rundschau, XIV (September 16, 1933), p. 387.
Merker, op. cit., II, pp. 133–134.
Paul Ostwald, Deutschland und Japan (Berlin: Junker und Dünnhaupt Verlag, 1941), pp. 57–58, 70–71.
Von Pustau and Okanouye , Japan und Deutschland (Berlin: Deutscher Verlag für Politik und Wirtschaft, 1936), pp. 121–122.
Survey, 1933, op. cit., pp. 293–295. It is interesting to note that in early 1934 Hitler used the Japanese as an argument against disarmament. See Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919–1939, edited by E. L. Woodward and Rohan Butler (London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1947), Second Series, vol. VI, pp. 285, 434.
Survey, 1933, op. cit., p. 302.
J. W. Wheeler-Bennett, Munich: Prologue to Tragedy (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1948), p. 217.
Erich Kordt, Nicht aus den Akten (Stuttgart: Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, 1950), pp. 122–123, writes “ .... after Japan’s walkout from the League of Nations, Hitler’s sympathies for that country were fully awakened.”
Ibid., pp. 123–124. Hitler’s personal appeal to the Japanese in 1934 gives still more weight to these ideas. See p. 44.
Dirksen, op. cit., p. 142.
Poole, op. cit., p. 137. It is true that Dirksen admitted during his interview not to be sure if the idea for an alliance was broached initially by Hitler, Ibid., p. 136.
Ibid., p. 133.
Survey, 1933, op. cit., p. 175.
Koichi Kido, Extracts frotn the Diary of 1931–1941 (Microfilmed by the University of California), Maren 8, 1933;
Toshikazu Käse, Joumey to the Missouri (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1950), p. 30.
Yanaga, op. cit., p. 565 is an example of this.
Yale C. Maxon, Control of Japanese Foreign Policy: A Study of Civil-Military Rivalry, 1930–1945 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1957), pp. 149–160.
Kase, op. cit., pp. 17–18.
International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Documents Presented in Evidence, Exhibit 3609 A. (Hereafter cited as IMTFE).
Loc. cit.
IMTFE, Exhibit 131.
Dirksen, op. cit., pp. 144–145; also Poole, op. cit., pp. 135–136.
Loc. cit., for both sources.
Survey, 1933, op. cit., pp. 178–179.
See the complaints about Japan’s behavior in Litvinov’s Speech before the Central Executive Committee of the U.S.S.R., in Documents on International Affairs, 1933, edited by J. W. Wheeler—Bennett (London: Oxford University Press, 1934), pp. 436–440.
As quoted in Merker, op. cit., II, p. 134.
Foreign Relations of the United States, the Soviet Union, 1933–1939 (Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1952), p. 53.
Documents, 1933, op. cit., p. 433.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1958 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Presseisen, E.L. (1958). The League of Nations Loses Two Members. In: Germany and Japan. International Scholars Forum. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-6590-9_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-6590-9_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-6456-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-6590-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive