Tokyo, Nov, 27.
The Japanese Government's protest to Great Britain over the decision to seize German exports will have the status of a declaration of principle, the application of which will depend upon the tenor of the forth coming British Order-in-Council, Mr. Harada, vice-spokesman for the Japanese Foreign fice, advised me today, He said that it was Japan's desire to deliver a serious warning to Britain, giving the British Government an opportunity to consider the matter goavely before committing itself to the terms of the Order-in-Council.
Mr, Harada said that he did not know If the report from London that Great Britain' would consider the representations of neutral countries when applying the Order-in-Council Folerred to British promise Japan not to interfere with German exports bound for Japan, This promise, Mr, Harada revealed, declared that the British authorities would not take any action against neutral ves~ sels conveying woods destined for neutral countries which were pro-Guced or manufactured in Germany. 'This statement was delivered in write ing' to Mr, Marmoru Shigemitsu, 'Sapanese Ambassador (0 the Court of St. James', from the British Institute, recording to Mr, Harada, and was later confirmed by the Ministry of Economic Warfare in response to a questionnaire submitted by Mr. Shigematsu, The spokesman said that the British undertaking. was not conditional and implied that German exports would not be Intorfered with even British territorial waters, He added that as far as he could recall Japan id not interfere with German ox-ports during the previous war.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.