"Grave Consequences"

Hardly had the little feet of smiling Masanao Hanihara, Japanese Ambassador to the U. S., touched his native soil when eager reporters "nailed" him.

"What about that 'grave consequences' note you sent to Secretary of State Charles E. Hughes?" (TIME, Apr. 28) chanted they.

Retorted the Ambassador: "I believe that I committed no wrong in the use of the phrase 'grave consequences' contained in my first note to Secretary Hughes; and the evidence of this is that I offered no apology or excuse in my second note, but only explained the term and emphasized it. ... I am inclined to be of the opinion that the American Congress would have passed exclusion legislation even without my use of the phrase.

"The American people are, however, beginning to understand the Japanese immigration question since the controversy has assumed the present proportion; and I hope their understanding will lead to a future solution of the problem.

"I do not know when the Japanese Government will send a new note to the American Government on this question; but further notes will be exchanged. I do not believe there is any urgency in dispatching another note. Mr. Hughes is now away in Europe and is not expected to return to Washington until the end of August."

Questioned as to whether he thought Japanese living in California would stay there or move to another part of the U. S., he replied: "I personally believe that a majority are determined to remain where they are. There is a group of exclusionists who are agitating to deprive American-born Japanese of their American citizenship, but I do not believe there will be any trouble if the Japanese population does not increase much. I hear some Japanese immigrants arriving at Seattle were mistreated by immigration officials, but I do not believe this is the fault of the American Government, but probably was due to the attitude of the officials from that locality, who acted out of prejudice."

Concluding, he made it clear that he would not return to the U. S., and said he did not know who would succeed him in the Embassy.