Japan's Accession to the Comity of Nations by Alexander von Siebold

Author:Alexander von Siebold [Siebold, Alexander von]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781375445139
Google: WQ2PswEACAAJ
Publisher: Creative Media Partners, LLC
Published: 2017-08-18T15:53:24+00:00

which had been built up around it by the exterritorial clauses. In that year, after long preliminary negotiations, there met at Tokio a Conference of all the Treaty Powers for preparing a basis on which the respective Governments might come to some conclusion as to the modifications to be made in the existing treaties. Germany was represented by her Minister, Herr von Eisendecher, as well as her Consul—General at Yokohama, Herr Zappe; and England by Sir Harry Parkes, who had so long been accredited to the Court of Japan. The course of the negotiations brought to light more clearly than ever the antagonism between the views of those two countries—Germany showing an inclination to concede the claims of Japan, while England was for stubbornly adhering to the state of things as then existing. On this occasion Japan was represented by one of her most enlightened statesmen—Kaoru Inouyé, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who in every respect proved equal to the situation.

The Japanese plenipotentiary at once perceived that his country’s only chance of procuring international recognition of its claims was to break completely with its old system of isolation, to adopt the principle, practised by all the European States in their relations with one another, of the equal footing of natives and aliens in affairs of trade and commerce. It was further reasoned that great commercial countries like England and America would feel morally compelled, by the alluring prospect of the interior of Japan being thus opened up to foreigners for the practice of every lawful trade and enterprise, to recognise the equality of Japan from the point of view of international law, if they were to avoid the danger of reprobation from their own Parliaments, which naturally attached the greatest value to the creation of new markets.

On 5th April 1882 a proposal in this sense was laid before the Conference by its President, M.Inouyé, who, in return for the abolition of the consular jurisdiction of the Powers hitherto existing, offered to throw open to trade the whole Empire, and to place foreigners, in their pursuit of commerce and industry, on the same footing as the natives of Japan. By the German Minister this communication was welcomed in the warmest manner, and most of his colleagues too, with the exception of the English delegate, acceded to the proposal, which carried with it so great a promise for the future. For had not the Japanese Government of its own accord offered to tread what was the only possible way of developing the trade and the rich resources of the country with the help of European capital?

By this admission of foreigners into the interior of the Empire, and the permission accorded them to found industrial enterprises there, the barriers would be broken down which had been raised by certain restrictive rules (including the decree against travelling inland for the purposes of trade) between the foreign merchant and the native consumer or producer.

For the rest, the Japanese Government did not demand that its jurisdiction over

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