In May 1920 , Wilson sent a long-deferred proposal to Congress to have the U.S. accept a mandate from the League of Nations to take over Armenia . Bailey notes this was opposed by American public opinion , and had the support of only 23 senators . Richard G. Hovannisian states that Wilson " made all the wrong arguments " for the mandate and focused less on the immediate policy than on how history would judge his actions : " he wished to place it clearly on the record that the abandonment of Armenia was not his doing . " Relations with Japan had warmed with the signing of the Washington Naval Treaty and were further bolstered by U.S. aid in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake , which killed as many as 200,000 Japanese and left another 2 million homeless . However , relations soured with the passage of the Immigration Act of 1924 , which banned immigration from Japan to the United States . U.S. officials encouraged Japan to protest the ban while the legislation was drafted , but Japanese threats backfired as supporters of the legislation used the threats to galvanize opposition to Japanese immigration . The immigration legislation sparked a major backlash in Japan , strengthening the position of those in Japan who favored expansionism over cooperation with Western powers
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kantō earthquake
History of U.S. foreign policy, 1913–1933