Bertrand Russell at Keio University, July 1921, by William Snell. n6
Source: Kindai Nihon Kenkyu(Modern Japan Study), v.14(1997), p.171 - 192
p.01 p.02 p.03 p.04 p.05 p.07 p.08 p.09 p.10 p.11 p.12 p.13 p.14 p.15
Evidently Russell blamed the staff of Kaizo for inciting much of the harassment by "taking care always to let the journalists know when we were coming, so that we were perpetually pursued by flashlights and photographed even in our sleep,"*15 On top of this they were dogged by "police-spies" and, by way of surveillance, their conversations were recorded by police in an adjacent hotel room.
Despite the efforts of the police authorities to prevent it, a reception took place at the Imperial Hotel on the morning of July 26th. It was an intellectually star-studded occasion, reported in the Japan Chronicle as follows:
The conversazione arranged by the Kaizo office in Tokyo, which.., caused much alarm and concern to the police authorities on account of invitations being extended to some well known Socialists, took place at the Imperial Hotel on Tuesday from 11 a.m. Messrs. Osugi, Sakai [Toshihiko]*16 and Ishikawa [Sanshiro] the well-known Socialists, whose invitation to the gathering was the cause of perturbations in officialdom, attended without any positive molestation from the police. The Jiji, which is generally trustworthy, says that about a dozen detectives were specially detailed in the neighbourhood of the hotel.
Among others who were present were Drs. Anezaki [Anesaki Shoji 1873-1949]*17 and Kuwaki [Genyoku 1874-1946: philosopher], professors at the Tokyo Imperial University, Dr. Kitazawa [Shinjiro], of the Waseda University, Professor Abe [Jiro? 1883-1959: philosopher, critic and educator], of the Keio University, Dr. Fukuda [Tokuzo 1874-1930: economist], of the Commercial College, Mr. Suzuzki [sic; Bunji], the president of the Yuai-kai, and Messrs. Chiba, Sugimura and Baba [Tsunego],*18 journalist. From the reports appearing in the Japanese papers it appears that Mr. Bertrand Russell talked with Mr. Osugi and Dr. Fukuda most. The
conversation with Mr. Osugi turned chiefly on Bergmann [sic.] and Emma Goldman, but it does not seem that much detail was entered into. Dr. Fukuda, an eminent economist, engaged Mr. Russell much longer.*19
*15 Autobiography, p. 134.
*16 "... a socialist and later Osugi's chief rival within the leftist movement". Stanley, p. 34.
*17 Anezaki, who was at Oxford University in 1907, later wrote a history of Japanese religion (in English: 1930).
*18 Baba was a reporter for the Kokumin,the only newspaper in Tokyo which gave an editorial welcome to Russell.
*19 Japan Chronicle, July 26, p. 5.