w(3) Tri-lateral negotiations Berlin-Rome-Tokyo are not in any way prejudiced by the anticipated German- Italian pact of alliance. This pact of alliance will definitely prove from a legal point of view the un¬shakable firmness of the Berlin-Rome Axis. The Japanese can only welcome it to see the internal relationship between their two European partners cleared of any doubt and to see that any possibility of internal divergences between these partners is excluded, if they want a tripartite pact. H (4) Moreover the fact that the conclusion of the tripartite pact is delayed so long is not the fault of the German or Italian governments. For a long time I have pointed out to the Japanese that there might be a necessity of a prior conclusion of a German-Italian pact if the conclusion of the Tripartite Pact is postponed for a longer period of time. M(5) For the Japanese, it is also not a disturbing element that the German-Italian pact will contain in some respects closer ties than the present draft of the Tripartite Pact. It is quite natural that the political and military cooperation between the two European neighboring countries which find themselves directly face to face with France and England is more intensive than the coopera¬tion with the far-away Japan. If therefore the difference in the two pacts, becomes apparent, it does not mean that Japan is pressed down politically to a lower level of friendship by Germany and Italy. The world public for