Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation
Encyclopedia
The signed by Britain
and Japan
, on July 16, 1894, was a breakthrough agreement; it heralded the end of the unequal treaties
and the system of extraterritoriality
in Japan. The treaty came into force on July 17, 1899.
From that date British subjects in Japan were subject to Japanese laws instead of British laws. The jurisdiction of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan
, the Court for Japan under it and consular courts in each treaty port ceased on that date, save for pending cases which were allowed to continue. British subjects from that date became subject to the jurisdiction of Japanese courts.
Other countries soon followed suit and the system of separate laws, which governed all the foreigners who were obliged to reside in the treaty ports
, was thus abolished.
A copy of the treaty can be found in the Foreign Office treaty database.
The treaty was signed in London by John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley
for Britain and Aoki Shūzō
for Japan. It was a necessary pre-condition to the Anglo-Japanese alliance
of 1902, as an alliance cannot be formed between unequal contracting parties. One of the important contributors to the negotiations leading to the treaty was the Minister Hugh Fraser, who died in Tokyo
about a month before the treaty was concluded. Another was John Harington Gubbins
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, on July 16, 1894, was a breakthrough agreement; it heralded the end of the unequal treaties
Unequal Treaties
“Unequal treaty” is a term used in specific reference to a number of treaties imposed by Western powers, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, on Qing Dynasty China and late Tokugawa Japan...
and the system of extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality
Extraterritoriality is the state of being exempt from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Extraterritoriality can also be applied to physical places, such as military bases of foreign countries, or offices of the United Nations...
in Japan. The treaty came into force on July 17, 1899.
From that date British subjects in Japan were subject to Japanese laws instead of British laws. The jurisdiction of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan
British Supreme Court for China and Japan
The British Supreme Court for China and Japan was a court established in the Shanghai International Settlement in 1865 to try cases against British subjects in China and Japan, and from 1883, Korea, under the principles of Extraterritoriality. The court also heard appeals from consular courts in...
, the Court for Japan under it and consular courts in each treaty port ceased on that date, save for pending cases which were allowed to continue. British subjects from that date became subject to the jurisdiction of Japanese courts.
Other countries soon followed suit and the system of separate laws, which governed all the foreigners who were obliged to reside in the treaty ports
Treaty ports
The treaty ports was the name given to the port cities in China, Japan, and Korea that were opened to foreign trade by the Unequal Treaties.-Chinese treaty ports:...
, was thus abolished.
A copy of the treaty can be found in the Foreign Office treaty database.
The treaty was signed in London by John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley KG , PC , known as the Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal politician...
for Britain and Aoki Shūzō
Aoki Shuzo
was a diplomat and Foreign Minister in Meiji period Japan.-Biography:Viscount Aoki was born to a samurai family as son of the Chōshū domain's physician in what is now part of Sanyō Onoda in Yamaguchi Prefecture)...
for Japan. It was a necessary pre-condition to the Anglo-Japanese alliance
Anglo-Japanese Alliance
The first was signed in London at what is now the Lansdowne Club, on January 30, 1902, by Lord Lansdowne and Hayashi Tadasu . A diplomatic milestone for its ending of Britain's splendid isolation, the alliance was renewed and extended in scope twice, in 1905 and 1911, before its demise in 1921...
of 1902, as an alliance cannot be formed between unequal contracting parties. One of the important contributors to the negotiations leading to the treaty was the Minister Hugh Fraser, who died in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
about a month before the treaty was concluded. Another was John Harington Gubbins
John Harington Gubbins
-Education:Gubbins attended Harrow School and would have gone on to Cambridge University, had family finances allowed.-Career:Gubbins was appointed a student interpreter in the British Japan Consular Service in 1871; English Secretary to the Conference at Tokyo for the Revision of the Treaties,...
.
See also
- Anglo-Japanese relationsAnglo-Japanese relationsThe history of the relationship between Britain and Japan began in 1600 with the arrival of William Adams on the shores of Kyūshū at Usuki in Ōita Prefecture...
- Heads of the United Kingdom Mission in Japan