Treaties of Amity and Commerce between Japan and Holland England France Russia and the United States 1858

Duchesne de Bellecourt remitting the ratified France Japan Treaty to the Shogun in 1859

The Treaty of Amity and Commerce between France and Japan (Japanese: 日仏修好通商条約) (1858) opened diplomatic relations and trade between the two counties.

Description

The treaty was signed in Edo on October 9, 1858, by

Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gros (1793–1870), also known as Baron Gros, was a French diplomat and later senator, as well as a notable pioneer of photography. Life and career He entered the French diplomatic service in 1823 and was given the title of ...

, the commander of the French expedition in China, assisted by

Charles de Chassiron Baron Charles Gustave Martin de Chassiron (1818-1871) was a French diplomat of the 19th century. He travelled to China and Japan as one of the two ''Attachés'' of the French Embassy under Baron Gros, with the title of "Detaché extraordinaire ...

and Alfred de Moges, opening diplomatic relations between the two countries.Polak 2001, p. 29 The Treaty was signed following the signature of the

Harris Treaty Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle ...

between the United States and Japan, as France, Russia, Great Britain, and Holland quickly followed the American example: Japan was forced to apply to other nations the conditions granted to the United States under the "most favoured nation" provision. These 1858 treaties with the five nations are known collectively as "

Ansei Treaties The Ansei Treaties (Japanese:安政条約) or the Ansei Five-Power Treaties (Japanese:安政五カ国条約) are a series of treaties signed in 1858, during the Japanese Ansei era, between Japan on the one side, and the United States, Great Br ...

".Auslin, p. 1 The most important points of these

Unequal Treaties Unequal treaty is the name given by the Chinese to a series of treaties signed during the 19th and early 20th centuries, between China (mostly referring to the Qing dynasty) and various Western powers (specifically the British Empire, France, the ...

were: * exchange of diplomatic agents. * Edo,

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

, Niigata, and

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

’s opening to foreign trade as ports. * ability of foreign citizens to live and trade at will in those ports (only

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

trade was prohibited). * a system of

extraterritoriality In international law, extraterritoriality is the state of being exempted from the jurisdiction of local law, usually as the result of diplomatic negotiations. Historically, this primarily applied to individuals, as jurisdiction was usually cla ...

that provided for the subjugation of foreign residents to the laws of their own

consular court Consular courts were law courts established by foreign powers in countries where they had extraterritorial rights. They were presided over by consular officers. Extraterritoriality Western powers when establishing diplomatic relations with coun ...

s instead of the Japanese law system. * fixed low import-export duties, subject to international control, thus depriving the Japanese government control of foreign trade and protection of national industries (the rate would go as low as 5% in the 1860s.) In 1859,

Gustave Duchesne de Bellecourt Gustave Duchesne, Prince de Bellecourt (1817 – 1881) was a French diplomat who was active in Asia, and especially in Japan. He was the first French official representative in Japan from 1859 to 1864, following the signature of the Treaty of Am ...

arrived and became the first French representative in Japan.Omoto, p. 23 A French Consulate was opened that year at the Temple of

Saikai-ji , more commonly , is a Japanese temple in 4-16-23, Mita, Minato, Tokyo (on the Tsuki no Misaki). Its religious sect and principal image are Pure Land Buddhism and Amitābha respectively. This is a 26th the place where can get the green paper ...

, in Mita, Edo, at the same time as an American Consulate was established at the Temple of

Zenpuku-ji Zenpuku-ji (善福寺), also known as Azabu-san (麻布山), is a Jōdo Shinshū temple located in the Azabu district of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the oldest Tokyo temples, after Asakusa. History Founded by Kūkai in 824, Zenpuku-ji was origi ...

, and a British Consulate at the Temple of

Tōzen-ji , is a Buddhist temple located in Takanawa, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The temple belongs to the Myōshin-ji branch of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen.Cortazzi, Hugh. (2000) ''Collected Writings of Sir Hugh Cortazzi'', Vol. II, pp. 210211. One of th ...

. The ratified Treaty was brought to the ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

'' by Duchesne de Bellecourt, on February 4, 1860.

Notes

References

* Auslin, Michael R. (2004)
''Negotiating with Imperialism: The Unequal Treaties and the Culture of Japanese Diplomacy.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

.
OCLC 56493769
* Halleck, Henry Wager. (1861)
''International law: or, Rules regulating the intercourse of states in peace and war''
New York: D. Van Nostrand
OCLC 852699
* Omoto Keiko, Marcouin Francis (1990) ''Quand le Japon s'ouvrit au monde'' (in French) Gallimard, Paris, * Polak, Christian. (2001). ''Soie et lumières: L'âge d'or des échanges franco-japonais (des origines aux années 1950).'' Tokyo: ''Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Française du Japon,''

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette (publisher), a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachett ...

Fujin Gahōsha (アシェット婦人画報社). * __________. (2002). 絹と光: 知られざる日仏交流100年の歴史 (江戶時代-1950年代) ''Kinu to hikari: shirarezaru Nichi-Futsu kōryū 100-nen no rekishi (Edo jidai–1950-nendai).'' Tokyo: Ashetto Fujin Gahōsha, 2002. ; {{Treaties of Japan Unequal treaties France–Japan relations 1858 in France 1858 in Japan 1858 treaties Amity and Commerce (France-Japan) Amity and Commerce (France-Japan) October 1858 events Bilateral treaties of Japan Bilateral treaties of France