Tokyo, Oct. 8.
The party of 30 American girl softball players arriving in Japan on October 10 will have to refashion their uniforms before making their prospective tour of Japan, according to a ruling made by the Metropolitan Police Board.
Snug-fitting white silk, with red stripes, the shorts are said to be all right as shorts go, but they do not go far enough. The Police Board has, therefore, notified the Foreign Office that, unless the shorts are lengthened by about three inches, the girls will not be allowed to wear them in public.
A high official of the Board told a Japanese reporter.—"Since. they have started on the worthy tour of promoting American-Japanese friendship, we dare not suppress their activities. But we want them to follow the standards of Japanese morals and manners.
"As for the participation by Japanese girls, we absolutely will not permit Japahese girls to play with the Americans in any commercial enterprise. If the Japanese wish to play just for the sport of it, that may be all right."
Japanese actresses, the police have ruled, definitely cannot appear with the visiting girl "athletes "because of the moral question involved." "Such exhibitions". the police are stated to feel, "are contrary to Japanese customs and manners."—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.