Tokio, July 4.
The following is the text of the speech delivered by Viscount Uchida, Minister for Foreign Affairs, in the Diet yesterday.
"What calls for our attention first is matters connected with the Treaty of Peace. with Germany, and among the many measures io be taken by the Government and the various negotiations to be prosecuted with foreign Government in this regard. The most important are thcse relating to the settlement of the Shantung question. A statement having recently] been published by the Foreign Office concerning, this question, I shall refrain from going again over the same ground.
"As you may have learned from. the Foreign Office statement, Japan is desirous of entering into negotiations with China respecting <estoration of the leased territory of Kiaochao, but unfortunately the Chinese Government do not find themselves in a position to accept! our offer, because they have not signed the German treaty and because of internal. political conditions. Much as they regret this, the Japanese Government are none' the less prepared at any time to negotiate with the Chinese Goverament, should the latter desire it.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.