Which informal agreement limited Japanese immigration in the early 20th century?

• A. Chinese Exclusion Act
• B. Gentlemen's Agreement
• C. Open Door Policy
• D. Expulsion Act

Answer: (B)

The key idea is an informal diplomatic understanding used to shape immigration policy without a formal law. Around 1907–1908, the United States and Japan reached a private agreement in which Japan would limit the emigration of Japanese workers to the United States, and in return the United States would refrain from harsher measures against Japanese immigrants and would address California’s school-segregation tensions. Because this was not a written treaty or statute, it’s described as an informal agreement—the name itself signals its unofficial, gentlemanly nature rather than a formal law.

This arrangement reduced Japanese immigration without passing new federal legislation. The other options point to different, more formal or unrelated policies: the Chinese Exclusion Act targeted Chinese laborers and was a formal statute; the Open Door Policy dealt with trade with China rather than immigration; and an Expulsion Act isn’t a recognized historical policy for this period.