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Policy Outline Concerning the Jews (adopted Dec.6, 1938)

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Decision of the Five-Minister Council: “Policy Outline Concerning
the Jews” held on Dec. 6, 1938

As it is the axis of our imperial diplomacy to hold friendly relations with Germany and Italy, it should be avoided as a general rule to embrace positively in our Empire the Jews our ally has rejected. Excluding them totally just as Germany does, however, would fail to coincide with the spirit of racial equality which our empire has long insisted on. What’s more, we would suffer from serious disadvantages from the viewpoint of the necessity to prosecute the war in this emergency period our empire faces — especially the necessity to introduce foreign funds for economical construction, and to avoid the worse worsening our relations with the United States. Taking this all into account, we shall deal with the problem according to the following guidelines:

Guidelines
1. We shall treat the Jewish people inhabiting Japan, Manchuria and China as fairly as we would any other foreigners, and will never exclude them particularly.
2. We shall fairly treat the Jews entering Japan, Manchuria, and China in accordance with immigration regulations.
3. We shall avoid specifically inviting the Jews to Japan, Manchukuo, and China, except those especially useful, such as capitalists and engineers.

(From the documents in the Foreign Ministry Diplomatic Archives)

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