File No. 6351/23–34.
Ambassador Wright
to the Secretary of State.
[Extract.]
American Embassy,
Tokyo, June 28,
1907.
No. 318.]
Sir: Referring to my dispatch No. 256 of May 15
last,a I have the
honor to inclose to you herewith the official text of the
Franco-Japanese agreement signed on the 10th instant, which is in French
and was published here on the 17th instant. I inclose also an English
translation of this text and published interviews with M. Gerard, French
ambassador here, Viscount Hayashi, minister for foreign affairs, and Mr.
Takahashi, vice-governor of the Bank of Japan, all upon the subject of
this agreement. I further inclose an official telegraphic summary of the
speech of M. Pichon, French minister for foreign affairs, made after
reading this agreement in the Chamber of Deputies, and a number of
editorial comments giving the opinions of the principal Japanese
newspapers.a
It will be noted that the new Franco-Japanese agreement is extremely
brief. By it the Governments of Japan and France agree to respect the
independence and integrity of China, as well as the principle of equal
treatment there for the commerce and subjects or citizens of all
nations. They declare also that they have a special interest to have
order and a pacific state of things preserved in the regions of China
adjacent to the territories where they have the rights of sovereignty,
protection, or occupation, and they accordingly engage to support each
other to assure the peace and security of these adjacent regions of
China, with the object of maintaining their own respective situations
and territorial rights in the continent of Asia. The actual engagement
included in this agreement is accordingly very limited in scope. Nothing
is stated in it as to the nature of the support which each engages to
furnish to the other for the object stated, and there is no specific
guarantee of the respective territorial rights of each nation, though a
recognition of them is implied.
I have, etc.,
[Page 756]
[Inclosure 1.]
[The Japan Times,
Tokyo, Friday, June 21,
1907.]
viscount hayashi on the
franco-japanese agreement.
The minister for foreign affairs interviewed by the Jiyu Tsushin on
the recently concluded agreement spoke as follows:
In the course of the formation of an agreement between two nations it
happens that the interest of a third power is connected with such an
agreement, and often excites the feeling of jealousy and
misunderstanding; but with regard to the present Japan-French
agreement, there will not be any power that feels any sense of
uneasiness. Previous to the publication of this agreement newspapers
reported that China entertained various erroneous conceptions with
regard to the matter, but the chief object of the agreement is to
respect the sovereignty of China, the very keynote of oriental
peace, and the preservation of her territories. Actuated by this
principle the spirit of the Anglo-Japanese alliance is maintained so
that the authorities in China must no doubt be contented with the
arrangement. Other powers which have interests in eastern Asia will
not entertain any feelings of doubt and apprehension, seeing that
the spirit of the agreement is based upon the principle of justice,
and of allowing equal opportunities to all powers, in order to
secure the permanent peace in the Orient. Peace has been the policy
of the Japanese diplomacy, and the imperial message given to Mr.
Tsuzuki, our ambassador to the peace conference at The Hague, gave
publicity to this great principle before the world. Japan was forced
to mobilize her forces in late wars for the realization of this
principle. The so-called “armed peace” is not the policy of Japan,
but peaceful defense is her motto. Since the late war, numerous
misconceptions and errors have been held concerning Japan’s policy
in the continent of Asia. The authorities in Japan availed
themselves of every chance and opportunity to declare and set forth
the sincerity of Japan before other powers. The present
Japan-Russian agreement is an embodiment of this fundamental
principle of her diplomacy. Not only with France, but with other
powers whose interests are closely allied with oriental peace, Japan
will be actuated by the same principle that she has manifested on
this occasion and will not hesitate to contribute her full share to
the great and glorious cause of oriental civilization.
m. pichon’s speech.
The Japanese ambassador at Paris wires:
M. Pichon, the foreign minister of France, on June 15, replying to an
interpellation by Count Casterra in the Chamber of Deputies, read
the whole of the Franco-Japanese arrangement and declaration, and
said that the agreement would permanently assure the peace of Asia
and interests of both countries. He proceeded to say that some
persons had suspected and declared Japan to harbor ambitions of
other countries. By concluding the agreement, Japan swept away these
suspicions and false charges and showed that she had no intention to
disturb or change the state of things in the Far East. The mutual
support the two Governments had promised each other was perfectly
peaceful in spirit, purpose, and method. This agreement did not go
alone, but was connected with the Russo-Japanese negotiations to be
concluded before long with the same spirit and purpose, and
supplemented the Anglo-Japanese alliance, Anglo-French entente, and
dual alliance. The agreement would also promote the political
interests of Germany, Austria, Italy, and the United States in
China. After explaining the declaration the foreign minister said
that there was no need of dwelling on the obvious reasonableness of
the declaration. It was a long time ago that Japan acquired the
right to be regarded as a world power. In particular, when the
civilized nations endeavored to assure peace and order in China in
connection with the outbreak of seven years ago, Japan obtained the
right to be a member of the comity of the powers by dint of her
great exertion. The minister considered himself to be entitled to a
special privilege to declare this fact on account of the official
post he held at the time. If Japan did not cooperate with other
countries, he would certainly have not been able to appear on the
rostrum and deliver his speech to-day. In conclusion, the minister
said that in the present century, European politics having given
place to world politics, the agreement gave a new guaranty to [Page 757] the peaceful enterprises
of France and territories of both countries in Asia and promoted the
common interests of the powers. The minister, on behalf of the
French Government, asked the chamber to accept the agreement.
The chamber then expressed its approval of the agreement with a
perfectly unanimous vote.
[Inclosure 2.]
[The Japan Daily Mail,
Yokohama, Wednesday, June 19,
1907.]
the franco-japanese
“entente.”
[Extract.]
The document embodying the Franco-Japanese entente is very carefully
worded, as might have been expected. It will disappoint some
politicians, inasmuch as it contains no direct mutual guaranty for
the preservation of the territories of the high contracting parties
in East Asia. Some such clause was looked for in certain quarters,
but the expectation was scarcely reasonable, seeing that it would
have amounted to a virtual treaty of offense and defense. On the
other hand, this status quo is constructively recognized in clear
terms, since the two States engage to support each other for
assuring peace and security in regions adjacent to the territories
where they have rights of sovereignty, protection, or occupation.
This amounts to an implicit though not an explicit recognition of
such rights, and therefore the arrangement may be said to engage the
two powers not only to support each other in averting everything
that might threaten those rights, but also to recognize the rights
themselves. The document sets out by pledging its signatories to
respect the independence and integrity in China as well as the
principle of equal treatment for all, and thus we are brought face
to face with the interesting fact that Japan, who was at one time
invested with such disquieting potentialities as the hypothetical
leader of the Yellow Peril, now joins hands with Europe in measures
which are precisely calculated to exercise the phantom. The
pourparlers which prefaced the arrangement are said to have
commenced last November, and the actual negotiations date from the
following March. The document itself contains nothing relating to
matters of commerce. This omission has been already explained on the
ground that all such questions must of necessity fall under the
purview of the French chambers, but in a declaration there is an
engagement of much value to Japan, namely, that her subjects in
Indo-China shall be free from all the disabilities under which they
have hitherto labored in the prosecution of their enterprises there.
In short, whereas, when visiting France’s East Asian dominions, they
have up to the present been classed as Asiatics, and in that
capacity have been injuriously discriminated against, they will
henceforth be on the same footing as French citizens. This is a most
important feature of the arrangement, for it comes just at a time
when the great Republic of America and of other western nations are
showing a practical indisposition to adopt this liberal line toward
Japan.