Responding to questions of the United Press correspondent, Admiral Yamamoto said that he feared prospects for a mew naval building limitations agreement were not bright since Japan was not able to agree to a treaty which included only qualitative restrictions while other powers were not desirous of establishing quantitative limitations under a policy of equality.
"If a conference can be arranged," he said, "Japan would not insist on discussion of quantitative restrictions only. Matters of qualitative limitations naturally would also be considered. It has never been the policy of Japan to decline to discuss any important phase of naval limitations.
"Personally I cannot understand the reason for the recent notes to Japan from Britain; the United States and France regarding publication of Japán's naval building programme, because Japan's policy is well known."
"Unfortunately nobody thus far has found a formula which all nations desire to use as a basis for limitations," Admiral Ylamaraoto said when asked whether world navies might forget past conferences and seek some new formula aimed at reaching an international understanding which would allay present suspicions among the major Powers. "Japan's desire is to choose whether to build battleships or cruisers or other warships under a common upper limit. We have never demanded a navy equal to other major Powers on a ship by ship basis,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.