Mr, Matsuoka, who will proceed directly to Berlin, may visit Moscow on his homeward journey. Mr. Matsuoka made the trans-Siberian trip in 1932 on his way to Geneva to attend the epochal extraordinary session of the League of Nations which resulted in Japan's withdrawal from the Geneva body over the Manchurian Incident.
Political observers here discerned a twofold objective in Mr. Matsuoka's trip. The first, it was believed, would be to strengthen ties with the Axis Powers, in keeping with the fundamental Japanese policy embodied in the Tripartite Pact signed in Berlin on September 27, 1940 under which Japan's diplomacy has been based upon cooperation with Germany and Italy in the military, economic and political phases.
The second, it was believed, was to obtain first hand information on conditions in Europe which form the pivot of worldwide developments.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.