"Especially; important are our relations with America. Just now they are pretty bad. 1t will be my task mot to aggravate them, even if we lack a treaty of commerce and navigation by which to guarantee amity. I think the American ambassador to "Tokyo is of the same mind."
Referring to the European War the Minister said Japan had practically mo experience of being a neutral while neighbouring Powers fought round her.
In the present European war there' had been many infringements of the rights of neutrals by the belligerents. Japan would have a hard time protecting its rights as a neutral—At such a time, it was essential that their people should realize the exact nature of the situation, and deal with difü- culties calmly and with nice judgment.—Reuter.
From London, he will go to Paris, and then home again to fight.
Professor Koht claimed that Norway's neutrality had been "truly impartial." He said that the acceptance of Germany's demands would have made Norway a vassal state of Germany. "After Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland, we refused to believe in new promises. This moral defeat of Germany is the worst of all. Nobody trusts German promises any longer," he said. "We say, as in 1814: No Norwegian will ever agree to be a slave."
Professor Koht emphasized that the German attack on Norway' was thought out in advance, and. was well planned.
He referred to the help of Britain and France, and said that the Polish Government was also sending 4,000 men. "The Western Powers have pledged themselves to liberate Norway," he concluded.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.