ter anti-American and anti-British propaganda was permitted to grow and to increase in virulence. Frequent reference was made to the abrogation in 1924 by the United States of a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Japan, by which a small trickle of Japanese immigrants had been allowed entry into the United States. In its place, the American Congress had passed a bill classing the Japanese with the other Asiatics entirely excluded on the grounds of race. The Japanese took this as a direct insult. This old sad story was revived in the 1930’s, coupled with much talk and speculation about a great naval war with the United States.
At the same time, the attention of the Japanese public was also focused on the Asiatic colonial possessions of Britain and other European powers. Japanese leaders, coveting these rich territories, began to speak of freeing colonial Asiatics from oppression by the white races. Since it was obvious that the Japanese merely wished to substitute their own rule for that of the European powers, not many of the peoples of the Far East were deceived by this new line of propaganda. The Japanese themselves, however, accepted it completely and came to believe that Japan was the champion of the downtrodden peoples of Asia, and some day would free them from their white oppressors.
On the home front, all things not to the liking of the reactionary militarists were termed un-Japanese and, if possible, suppressed. Dance halls were banned; and golf and other luxury sports were frowned on. Labor unions were deprived of all influence. An effort was made to stop the use of English scientific and technical words in conversation and writing, and street and rail-