Dispatch 27(2/381/41) (extract) TOKYO, 21 January 1941

I have the honour to report that the following appointments in the
Japanese Diplomatic Service were announced in the official gazette
of the 9th January:-

Mr. Tatsuo Kawai, to be the first Minister to the Commonwealth of
Australia; and
Mr. Shinichi Chiba, to be Minister to Portugal.

2. There is, I think, no doubt whatever that the delay in
appointing a Minister to Australia was due to the fact that the
Government were considerably embarrassed by the selection of so
eminent a person as Sir John Latham to be the first Australian
Minister in Japan. Rules of precedence in this country are very
rigid and it would have been almost impossible for any Japanese
who had previously occupied posts corresponding to those which
have been held by Sir John Latham to have accepted an appointment
as Minister. It was for this reason, no doubt, that an attempt was
made to secure the services of Mr. Koichi Saionji, whose prestige
as the grandson of the late Prince Saionji would have gone far to
compensate for his age (as stated in my telegram No. 1984 of the
7th October, he is only 35) and lack of diplomatic experience.

Unfortunately Mr. Saionji found it impossible to accept the post.

3. The selection in his stead, however, of Mr. Kawai is very
disappointing. During his term of office as official 'spokesman'
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs he displayed on several
occasions open hostility to our attitude as regards Japanese
actions in China and he was unpopular amongst the foreign
newspaper correspondents owing to his somewhat rough manner and
indifferent command of English. On the other hand the position of
'spokesman' is one which is reserved for marked men and some of
his predecessors, e.g. Mr. Shiratori, have since attained
positions of much importance. [1]

R. L. CRAIGIE