Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation facts for kids
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| Signed | 16 July 1894 |
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| Location | London |
| Signatories | John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley Aoki Shūzō |
| Parties | British Empire; Empire of Japan |
The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation (日英通商航海条約, Nichi-Ei Tsūshō Kōkai Jōyaku) was an important agreement signed by Britain and Japan. This happened on July 16, 1894. It was a big step because it meant the end of "unequal treaties" for Japan. These treaties had given foreign countries special rights. It also ended "extraterritoriality" in Japan. This meant that foreigners in Japan would now follow Japanese laws. The treaty officially started on July 17, 1899.
From that day, British people living in Japan had to follow Japanese laws. Before this, they were judged by British laws. British courts in Japan, like the British Supreme Court for China and Japan, stopped working. This change meant that British citizens were now under the power of Japanese courts.
Contents
How It All Started
In 1853, Russia found out that the United States was sending ships to Japan. This fleet was led by Commodore Matthew Perry. Russia quickly sent its own ships, led by Admiral Yevfimiy Putyatin. They arrived in Nagasaki in August 1853. Russia then signed a treaty with Japan in 1855.
Britain noticed these actions by America and Russia. The British government wanted to keep an eye on what was happening in Japan. At first, the British naval commander, James Stirling, didn't think it was urgent.
But then the Crimean War started in Europe. This war involved Britain and Russia. Britain needed to stop Russia from using Japanese ports. Admiral Stirling saw this as a chance to make a deal with Japan. He arrived in Nagasaki in November 1854. He started talks with Japanese leaders. These talks were mostly about how ships could move in Japanese waters during the war.
On October 14, 1854, the Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty was signed. This agreement did not give Britain many trade benefits.
Lord Elgin's Visit
The 1854 treaty got mixed reactions in Britain. Some praised it, but British business people in China wanted more trade with Japan. Later, it became clear that the treaty gave Japan a lot of control. Japanese leaders wanted to supervise all foreign trade.
In 1855, the British Foreign Secretary asked Sir John Bowring to get better trade deals for Britain. But Britain was busy with wars in China and India. This delayed any action in Japan.
The war in China ended with the Treaty of Tientsin. Lord Elgin signed this treaty for Britain. After that, he went to Japan with a small group of ships. His job was to give a steamship called Emperor to the Shogun from Queen Victoria. He also needed to make a new treaty.
However, talks showed that Japan's government was divided. Many powerful Japanese lords, called Daimyo, did not like Westerners.
A new agreement, the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce, was signed in Edo on August 26, 1858. This treaty allowed foreign diplomats to travel inside Japan. It also included the right of "extraterritoriality." This meant that British citizens who broke Japanese laws would be judged by British officials, not Japanese courts.
Problems Inside Japan
Many Japanese people did not like the new treaty. They were against more foreign trade. Both Japanese and British leaders found it hard to control their people. Foreign sailors sometimes caused trouble. Japanese warriors, called samurai, also attacked Westerners. Many Japanese people started to dislike foreigners and wanted them to leave.
Because of this difficult situation, Britain tried to be careful. The new British Consul General, Harry Parkes, tried to stay neutral. He did not want to take sides in the growing fight between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Emperor's supporters. This fight later led to the Boshin War.
Long Talks for New Treaties
The Iwakura Mission
After winning the civil war, Emperor Mutsuhito wanted to modernize Japan. To change the old treaties and learn about Western culture, Japan sent a large group of leaders around the world. This group was led by Iwakura Tomomi.
In England, Iwakura talked with Lord Granville, the British Foreign Secretary, in 1872. Lord Granville told Japan that it needed to update its laws. Only then could Japan truly change the treaties and end extraterritoriality. So, modernizing Japan's laws became a top goal for the Emperor's government. Extraterritoriality was meant to protect British citizens. But if Japan had fair laws that Westerners could trust, it would no longer be needed.
Japan Modernizes
The Japanese government worked hard to end the "Unequal Treaties." These treaties were unfair because they gave Western nations special advantages over Japan.
British officials believed extraterritoriality was needed to protect their citizens. They thought Japanese laws were too harsh and unclear. Also, the Daimyo had their own laws in their areas. This made things even harder. So, Japan's government had to make big changes to its legal system.
In 1871, a rule was made to get rid of the Han, which were the Daimyo's territories. These were changed into prefectures. The Emperor also worked to reduce the use of the death penalty and whipping. In May 1873, a new set of laws was written. It stopped torture, further reduced the death penalty, and almost ended physical punishments. But these changes were not enough to end extraterritoriality. This issue was still discussed often by Japan's leaders in other countries.
Public Opinion and Challenges
By 1882, Japanese people started to speak up. They used newspapers to demand full control over their own laws and taxes. In 1886, Britain and Germany suggested a plan to Japan. They wanted to create "mixed courts" in Japan. These courts would handle cases between people of different nationalities. This idea had worked in Egypt. It was hoped to be a step towards ending extraterritoriality. But when this plan appeared in Japanese newspapers, people strongly opposed it. They thought it was embarrassing and dangerous.
This public anger made the Japanese government tougher with Western diplomats. This stopped the talks just when Western countries were starting to be more open.
In 1888, Ōkuma Shigenobu became Japan's Foreign Minister. He tried to make separate deals with each Western country. He thought if one country signed a new treaty, others would follow. He chose Mexico first, as it had few citizens or trade in Japan. In November 1888, Japan signed a treaty with Mexico. This was the first treaty that treated both countries equally. Mexico's Foreign Minister gave up extraterritoriality for Mexican citizens. In return, Mexicans could trade and live anywhere in Japan. However, Britain and France used a "most-favored-nation clause." This meant they also got these same benefits.
One event that helped Japan was the Emperor giving the country a constitution. This happened on February 11, 1889. This was a key step in making Japan's government more like Western ones. Japan now had a two-house parliament, called the Diet. However, this new Diet could make treaty talks harder. The elected members of the lower house might oppose giving things to the West. People in the streets were also loudly demanding that the old treaties be ended.
In October 1889, Okuma made new agreements with the United States, Germany, and Russia. But the Japanese people still saw these as Japan giving in too much. On October 18, 1889, Okuma was attacked with a bomb by a nationalist. This made him leave politics for a while. The Prime Minister, Kuroda Kiyotaka, also resigned. This stopped all talks with Western countries.
After these events, Sanjō Sanetomi and then Yamagata Aritomo led the government. The new Foreign Minister, Viscount Aoki Shūzō, took over the difficult treaty situation.
Aoki tried to suggest a new treaty that would avoid problems inside Japan. But just when an agreement seemed close, a fanatic attacked a young Westerner in May 1891. The victim was Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, who would become the future Tsar of Russia. This scandal forced the government to resign because of the difficult situation in the country.
The New Treaties
After the Ōtsu incident, Matsukata Masayoshi became Prime Minister. Enomoto Takeaki was the Foreign Minister. The new government worked on writing a new Civil Code and a Commercial Code. But when these were made public, they received criticism.
Both new laws were rejected, and the government fell again. Then, Itō Hirobumi, who helped create the 1889 Constitution, became Prime Minister in August 1892. He chose Mutsu Munemitsu as his Foreign Minister. Mutsu was an experienced diplomat.
Mutsu wanted to restart the talks. He had the support of Lord Rosebery, the British Foreign Minister. He also had help from Aoki Shūzō, who was very skilled despite past failures.
The Japanese parliament, the Diet, still opposed the talks. So, the Prime Minister decided to take strong action and dissolved the assembly. With these internal problems removed, Ito and Mutsu could focus on making a new agreement with Britain.
Impact of the First Sino-Japanese War
After difficult talks, an agreement was finally reached on July 13, 1894. But growing tensions in Korea threatened to stop the signing. There were two groups in Korea: one supported China, and the other supported Japan. The pro-Japanese group started a rebellion. China sent troops to stop it. Japan reacted by sending its own troops to Korea. They captured the Korean ruler and set up a pro-Japanese government. Mutsu put Otori Keisuke in charge of this delicate matter. But Otori fired a British naval instructor who was working for the Koreans. This caused a problem. On July 14, 1894, Britain refused to sign the treaty. They wanted answers about Korea and the British officer. Mutsu was in a tough spot. He worked very hard in the next few days to fix the problem.
The Treaty Is Signed
Then, on July 16, 1894, something unexpected happened. The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation was signed by the British. For the first time, Japan was seen as an equal "Great Power" by a major Western nation.
See also
- History of Japanese foreign relations
- Japan–United Kingdom relations
- List of Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Japan
- Extraterritoriality
Images for kids
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copy of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation
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