The Treaty of Versailles was decided at the Washington Conference in 1921-22 after World War I. Washington system about the postwar international order system in East Asia and the Pacific Ocean, which was drawn out by the resolution. Is called.
Under the leadership of the United States, European countries will establish a joint front, and a scheme will be created in which Japan, which has emerged, will be diplomatically isolated, and Japan will later head for the Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War.
Paris Peace Conference and League of Nations
November 1918 When Germany accepted the 14 Articles proposed by US President Wilson as the basis of peace, the four-year-old World War I was suspended.
The peace conference will be held in Paris January 1919 A peace treaty was signed at the Palace of Versailles in the suburbs. The Treaty of Versailles has caused Germany to lose some of its territory and all its colonies . , Pay a large amount of compensation It was decided.
At the Paris Peace Conference, the United States advocated international peace and self-determination, argued for the need for an organization to maintain international peace, and influenced the entire world.
In World War I, many lives were killed and buildings and cultural properties were destroyed. The tendency that such a tragic war should never occur again has led to the rapid progress of the American proceedings, and we are entering an era in which international cooperation is emphasized.
Thus 1920 (Taisho 9) To League of Nations Was born.
At this time, Japan / UK / France / Italy The United States, whose four countries are permanent members and the inventor, was unable to join the League of Nations due to domestic opposition.
The League of Nations is an organization that establishes international law to regulate the actions of each country and promotes cooperation among countries without resorting to war, but it has the aspect of maintaining a favorable situation for the victorious countries.
This new international order in Europe established by the Treaty of Versailles is called the Versailles system.
Washington Conference and International Treaties
Compensation for the defeated Germany is 132 billion marks. It seems that the current Japanese yen is over 200 trillion yen, which is not very large, but it was not an amount that could be paid. In addition, the victorious countries of England, France, and Italy also borrowed money from the United States, so they will suffer from the repayment.
The United States will provide assistance to postwar Germany to revive the industry, smoothly pay compensation, and the United Kingdom, France, and Italy, which received the payment, will establish an economic composition to return the debt to the United States. ..
Even with this composition, the Versailles regime brought peace to Europe, but not in East Asia and the Pacific.
The Soviet Union, which was born after the fall of the Russian Empire, was in conflict with China in an attempt to secure interests in East Asia, including its own diplomatic development. Even within China, the chaotic situation continued without the establishment of a unified government.
On the other hand, in the Pacific Ocean, the three countries of Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States were competing for naval expansion in a battle for command of the sea.
In such a situation, the United States, which has taken the international initiative, has [ Japan, Britain, the United States, France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Orchids, and China . ] And aimed at disarmament of the Navy [ Washington Conference ] Was opened.
The purpose of this conference is international peace Not only restraining the rise of Japan's East Asia And end the military expansion competition to ease the financial burden on the country It was for.
The Washington Conference is November 1921-February 1922 Continued until.
At the beginning of the meeting, US Secretary of Defense Hughes said, [ The United States is ready to dispose of 15 battleships and 61 tons due to the reduction of the world's military. ] And asked each country for disarmament.
People agree with this statement, Britain and Japan Yuzaburo Kato, Minister of the Navy [ Accepting the proposal of Hughes, we are ready to dispose of it in Japan ] Was said. The Washington Conference, which started in such a collaborative mood, was the Four-Power Treaty of December 1921. ・ February 1922 Nine-Power Treaty ・ Washington Naval Treaty An important treaty will be signed.
Four-Power Treaty
This treaty is US / UK / Japan / France [ Treaty on Peace in the Pacific 】is.
We will respect each other's interests in the islands of the Pacific Ocean and maintain the status quo. It was agreed that if a dispute arises, it will be resolved peacefully through discussions. The deadline is 10 years, and countries that violate the treaty can discuss sanctions by the remaining three countries.
With the conclusion of the Four-Power Treaty, 1902 (Meiji 35) [ Anglo-Japanese Alliance Agreement ] Has been agreed to end. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance is an alliance that recognizes each other's interests in China, and as long as this continues, other countries could not attack Japan. Thanks to this alliance, Japan was able to actively develop continental policy.
The end of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance will not receive support from Britain in the event of a war with the United States condemning China's advance. In this way, the Four-Power Treaty was not gained by Japan, but I dared to compromise cooperative line . It is said that it was taken.
Nine-Power Treaty
It is a treaty signed by the nine countries that participated in the Washington Conference, and it is a treaty agreed on the Chinese issue.
Its content is respect for China's sovereignty and territorial integrity And China is a stable government on its own After concluding the treaty, we will act in principle to open the doors of China and equal opportunities.
As a result, Japan can no longer advance to China without permission.
At the same time, 1917 (Taisho 6) recognized Japan's rights in China. Ishii-Lansing Agreement Was destroyed. In this way, Japan gave up some of China's interests acquired during the war, but remained the same with respect to the already established interests.
Shandong Concern Resolution Treaty
1922 (Taisho 11) Shandong Problem , which occurred in World War I when Japan occupied the land leased in Jiaozhou Bay and tried to inherit German interests in Shandong Province. Direct negotiations between Japan and China were held with the mediation of the United Kingdom and the United States.
China argues that the Shandong issue should be taken up multilaterally, but Japan strongly refused, resulting in direct negotiations between Japan and China.
China's allegations called on Japan to return Germany's interests. Japan has agreed to return the crude land in Jiaozhou Bay in response to the request, but Jiaozhou (Shandong) Railway Has allowed China to buy and jointly manage the mine as a joint venture between Japan and China.
In addition, China demands the abolition of the 21-article request, but the support of other countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States could not be obtained, and the Chinese side received only a few concessions from Japan, and the Chinese side had 21 articles. It became a form to accept the request of.
The agreement between Japan and China at this time is called the Shandong Concern Resolution Treaty.
Washington Naval Treaty
This treaty is the centerpiece of the Washington Conference, US / UK / Japan / France / Italy A limit on the amount of capital ships owned has been agreed among the five major naval powers. The ratio of the total tons of capital ships is US 5, UK 5, Japan 3, France 1.67, Italy 1.67 . It was decided.
The Japanese Navy General Staff and opposition parties requested the United States and the United Kingdom to secure 70% of capital ships, but the Navy Minister at that time, Yuzo Kato, suppressed that voice and 60% against the United Kingdom and the United States. We compromised and signed the treaty.
Instead, it was requested and accepted to maintain the status quo of military bases and armaments scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean. This was not a bad story for Japan, as the United States would not be able to build up military power in the Pacific region.
In this way, under the Washington Naval Treaty, 65 ships (1.8 million tons) including the battleships they are making were discarded, and the treaty also included that the capital ships would not change even if they deteriorated for the next 10 years. ..
Washington system
A series of international agreements at the Washington Conference aimed at preventing the recurrence of war and coordinating between the great powers, creating order in the Asia-Pacific region based on them, significantly reducing the military power of each country's navy, and Japan. The continental expansion policy has also stopped.
The cooperation system of each country that brought peace and stability to the Asia-Pacific region through such international cooperation is Washington system . Is called.
Japan's political impact after the Washington regime
In Japan, following the assassination of Prime Minister Hara, Korekiyo Takahashi Cabinet inaugurated, Washington system Was actively accepting and taking cooperative diplomacy.
The Takahashi Cabinet was taken over by Tomosaburo Kato , who had full authority over the Washington Conference. was. Kato is also 1922 Coordinated diplomacy such as withdrawing troops from Siberia And deploy the Washington Naval Treaty Therefore, the Navy was disarmament and the Army's troops were reduced.
This army disarmament saved more than 40 million yen, and the then Minister of the Army, Yamanashi Hanzo It is called Yamanashi Gunshu because it went there. Also, 1925 (Taisho 14) Also, Kazushige Ugaki, Minister of the Army 1920 (Taisho 10) as a result of the large-scale disarmament by Military spending, which accounted for more than 49% of national expenditures, was 1926 (Showa 1) . Was suppressed to 27%.
In addition, the total number of troops was reduced by 93,000, and the officers who lost their place were assigned to junior high schools and began to carry out military training.
Such a coordinated diplomacy / military reduction policy Is the Second Yamamoto Gonnohye Cabinet Prime Minister Takaaki Kato who was a hard-line diplomatic sect Also, 1924 (Taisho 13) Even in the administration from, cooperative diplomacy based on justice and peace Is converting to.
Avoid the US-UK conflict over China as much as possible, respect sovereignty over China, and do not interfere with domestic affairs [ non-interventionism However, when it comes to economics, Japan did not compromise, so anti-Japanese movements also took place, and Japan-China relations were never stable.
1925 In Shanghai, a strike to improve the treatment of Chinese workers occurred due to the dismissal of a Japanese-owned spinning factory, which developed throughout China and the anti-imperialist movement [ 5.30]. Incident ] Is spreading.
On the other hand, the relationship with the Soviet Union, which had been terrible since the Siberian intervention, was 1925 (Taisho 14) . Soviet-Japanese Basic Treaty Formally established diplomatic relations. Even after withdrawing from North Sakhalin after the conclusion of this treaty, we have acquired half the rights to the oil fields of North Sakhalin as a condition for withdrawal.
These Takahashi Korekiyo Coordinated diplomacy for several years after the Cabinet was Foreign Minister at that time ・ Kijuro Shidehara Named after [ Shidehara diplomacy ] Is called.