ANGLO-JAPANESE TREATY, an agreement entered into by England and Japan, Jan. 30, 1902. Its primary object was the safeguarding of the interests of both nations in China and Korea. The unquestioned military primacy of Japan in Asia, together with her close prox imity to China and Korea, combined with British naval strength, made the alliance a powerful one. It was declared in the treaty that neither of the contracting powers was influenced by any designs of aggression in the countries named, and it was promised that equal opportunities should exist in China and Korea to carry on commerce with all nations. The pe culiar interests of Japan in Korea were emphasized, and aid was promised by each nation to the other in the event of disorders arising, or if aggressive action should be taken by any other power in the countries named, and the contracting parties agreed to make war and conclude peace in common.
On Aug. 12, 1905, a new treaty was signed at London that superseded the earlier one. Nothing in the first treaty was abrogated, but an additional pact was made that the sphere of mutual ac tion and support should include the re gions of eastern Asia and of India. The
effect of this superseding treaty was to maintain the status quo in practically all parts of Asia, with the exception of Turkey. The treaty was to run for a period of ten years and could be abro gated before the expiration of its term by either nation, on a year's notice to the other. The treaty in general was not objected to by other nations, with the possible exception of Russia, whose designs against Afghanistan and India, if they existed, the treaty was evidently intended to thwart. This treaty was re newed for 10 years on July 13, 1911, at which time, at the demand of Great Britain, a clause was added providing that neither of the two parties was to be forced to go to war with any other power with whom either of the two contracting parties might have concluded a treaty of general arbitration. The Anglo-Jap anese treaty was one of the reasons why Japan eventually entered the World War on the side of the Allies.