Japan–Russia Secret Agreements
The Japan–Russia Secret Agreements were a series of four
Background
After the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan was faced with a conflict with Russia over its interests in Manchuria. There were two opinions in Japan, one that war between the two countries was inevitable and that Japan should prepare for it, and the other that every effort should be made to avoid war between the two countries. the Japanese Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi, preferred the second view and considered concluding a "Japan–Russia agreement" in which Japan would recognize Russia's interests in Manchuria and Russia would recognize Japan's interests on the Korean peninsula in exchange for the interests of Manchuria and Korea. However, this opinion was opposed by hardliners in Japan and the Russo-Japanese Agreement was replaced by the Anglo-Japanese Alliance (1902) with Russia as the imaginary enemy, which led to the Russo-Japanese War in 1904.[2]
Treaties
The First Treaty
After the Russo-Japanese War, the First Treaty was signed on 30 July 1907 by Motono Ichirō, the Japanese Ambassador in Moscow, and Alexander Izvolsky, the Foreign Minister of Russia. The treaty was divided into two parts: one is open agreement, which respected the treaties concluded between the two countries and China, respected China's independence, promoted open doors, and achieved equal opportunities and another is secret agreement, which defined the scope of Japan's interests in Southern Manchuria and Russia's interests in Northern Manchuria and Japan recognized Russia's interests in Outer Mongolia, and Russia recognized Japan's interests in the Korean Peninsula.[3]
The Second Treaty
The Second Russo-Japanese Treaty was signed on 4 July 1910 by
The Third Treaty
On 8 July 1912, Ambassador Motono Ichirō and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Sazonov signed the Third Treaty against the background that, as a result of the outbreak of the 1911 Revolution in China, the Republic of China replaced the Qing Dynasty and Japan and Russia divided the spheres of influence of the two countries in Inner Mongolia, with the treaty stipulating that the western sphere of influence of Inner Mongolia belonged to Russia and the eastern sphere of influence of Inner Mongolia to Japan.[6]
The Fourth Treaty
On 3 July 1916, Ambassador
Historical influence
With the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Soviet Union replaced the Tsarist Empire and although the Soviet government abrogated the treaty, the Soviet Union still inherited interests in Northern Manchuria and Outer Mongolia. In order to avoid clashes with the Japanese Empire, some level of cooperation similar to that existing under the secret treaties had to be reestablished. As a result, a basic agreement to regulate relations between the Soviet Union and the Japanese Empire was concluded in Beijing in 1925. In 1921 The Soviet Union assisted the
However, the Soviet Union still maintained its interests in Outer Mongolia, and in 1939 the Soviet Union and Japan fought a four-month war at
References
- ^ "The Secret Alliance with Japan Shattered by the Russian Revolution". nippon.com. 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- S2CID 144754908.
- ^ 加藤陽子『それでも、日本人は「戦争」を選んだ』朝日出版社、2009年7月。ISBN 978-4255004853
- S2CID 144754908.
- ISSN 1598-317X.
- ^ "The USSR and Japan signed the Basic Convention". Presidential Library. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
- ^ 江口圭一「1910-30年代の日本 アジア支配への途」『岩波講座 日本通史 第18巻 近代3』岩波書店、1994年7月28日、ISBN 4-00-010568-X、18~22頁
- ^ "Russo-Japanese Relations". CQ Researcher by CQ Press. Retrieved 2022-02-10.