Root-Takahira Agreement
Encyclopedia
The was an agreement between the United States
and the Empire of Japan
negotiated between United States Secretary of State
Elihu Root
and Japanese Ambassador to the United States
Takahira Kogorō
.
Signed on 30 November 1908, the agreement consisted of an official recognition of the territorial status quo as of November 1908, affirmation of the independence and territorial integrity of China
(i.e. the "Open Door Policy
" as proposed by John Hay
), maintenance of free trade
and equal commercial opportunities, Japanese recognition of the American annexation of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the Philippines and American recognition of Japan's position in northeast China
. Implicit in the agreement was American acknowledgment of Japan's right to annex Korea
and dominance over southern Manchuria
, and Japan's acquiescence to limitations on Japanese immigration
to California
.
With the conclusion of the Spanish-American War
, the United States had become a major power in East Asia
. The American occupation of Hawaii
and the Philippines
, combined with aggressive economic policies in China were increasingly perceived as a threat by the Japanese government. The American government, on the other hand, was increasingly concerned by Japanese ambitions towards territorial gain at the expense of China, and with Japan's increasingly modern and powerful navy
in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War
.
The Agreement was credited at the time with averting mounting tensions between the United States and Japan. However, with Japan's rapprochement
to Russia after 1907, and increasing economic investment into Manchuria, the Agreement resulted in a weakened American influence over further Japanese control over China.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
negotiated between United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Elihu Root
Elihu Root
Elihu Root was an American lawyer and statesman and the 1912 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the prototype of the 20th century "wise man", who shuttled between high-level government positions in Washington, D.C...
and Japanese Ambassador to the United States
Japanese Ambassador to the United States
The Japanese ambassador mission to the United States has existed since the 1860, interrupted by disagreements and wars during the Second World War.The current ambassador is Ichiro Fujisaki.-Ambassadors:* Uchida Kosai, 1910.* Sadao Iguchi, 1954-1957...
Takahira Kogorō
Takahira Kogoro
Baron was a Japanese diplomat and ambassador to the United States from 1900 to 1909.-Biography:Takahira was born in what is now Ichinoseki city, Iwate prefecture. From relatively modest beginnings, Takahira was to become a graduate of Kaisei Gakkō .-Career diplomat:In 1876, he joined the Ministry...
.
Signed on 30 November 1908, the agreement consisted of an official recognition of the territorial status quo as of November 1908, affirmation of the independence and territorial integrity of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(i.e. the "Open Door Policy
Open Door Policy
The Open Door Policy is a concept in foreign affairs, which usually refers to the policy in 1899 allowing multiple Imperial powers access to China, with none of them in control of that country. As a theory, the Open Door Policy originates with British commercial practice, as was reflected in...
" as proposed by John Hay
John Hay
John Milton Hay was an American statesman, diplomat, author, journalist, and private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln.-Early life:...
), maintenance of free trade
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
and equal commercial opportunities, Japanese recognition of the American annexation of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the Philippines and American recognition of Japan's position in northeast China
Northeast China
Northeast China, historically known in English as Manchuria, is a geographical region of China, consisting of the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The region is sometimes called the Three Northeast Provinces...
. Implicit in the agreement was American acknowledgment of Japan's right to annex Korea
Korea under Japanese rule
Korea was under Japanese rule as part of Japan's 35-year imperialist expansion . Japanese rule ended in 1945 shortly after the Japanese defeat in World War II....
and dominance over southern Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, and Japan's acquiescence to limitations on Japanese immigration
Japanese American history
Japanese American history is the history of Japanese Americans or the history of ethnic Japanese in the United States. People from Japan began emigrating to the U.S. in significant numbers following the political, cultural, and social changes stemming from the 1868 Meiji Restoration...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
With the conclusion of the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, the United States had become a major power in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
. The American occupation of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, combined with aggressive economic policies in China were increasingly perceived as a threat by the Japanese government. The American government, on the other hand, was increasingly concerned by Japanese ambitions towards territorial gain at the expense of China, and with Japan's increasingly modern and powerful navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
in the aftermath of the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
.
The Agreement was credited at the time with averting mounting tensions between the United States and Japan. However, with Japan's rapprochement
Rapprochement
In international relations, a rapprochement, which comes from the French word rapprocher , is a re-establishment of cordial relations, as between two countries...
to Russia after 1907, and increasing economic investment into Manchuria, the Agreement resulted in a weakened American influence over further Japanese control over China.