The Washington Naval Conference (2)
1921-1922, Washington, D.C.
"The battleship Mutsu is already completed. Therefore, it does not qualify for scrapping."
At the Washington Naval Conference, it was decided that battleships not yet completed would be scrapped. However, Japan argued that the Mutsu, the second ship of the Nagato-class and nearly complete, was already finished and should be exempt from scrapping.
In response, the United States and Britain sent inspection teams to Japan. These teams, swayed by Japan's hospitality, reported that the Mutsu was indeed complete.
As a result, the Mutsu was spared from scrapping, but this led to the U.S. and Britain increasing their own battleship quotas. Ironically, Japan's insistence on keeping the Mutsu actually worsened its battleship ratio compared to the U.S. and Britain.
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The Nine-Power Treaty
The conference then moved on to the Nine-Power Treaty , which focused on China.
"The United States respects the right to self-determination for all ethnic groups in China. The Manchus, Tibetans, Uighurs, Mongols, and other ethnic groups have the right to autonomy."
The opening statement by the U.S. caused a stir among the participating nations. Japan, however, was alarmed for a different reason.
"What?! This is a betrayal! During preliminary discussions, you agreed to support China's territorial integrity!"
The Chinese ambassador raised his voice in protest.
The conference became chaotic due to China's strong opposition, leading to several recesses. During these breaks, the nations held private meetings to discuss a compromise.
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Behind-the-Scenes Negotiations
"The civil war in Russia is ending, and the country is becoming fully communist. Once that happens, they will extend their influence to neighboring regions. Wouldn't it be wise to create buffer states of non-Han Chinese ethnic groups along the border with revolutionary Russia?"
The U.S. attempted to persuade the Chinese ambassador.
"Even now, you don't fully control Manchuria or Mongolia. Trying to forcibly occupy these regions would result in significant losses for the Han Chinese. Do you really want to share a border with revolutionary Russia under such circumstances?"
"But my government's instructions are clear: we must not compromise on China's territorial integrity…"
"Without U.S. support, how will the Republic of China survive? If you cede Manchuria to Japan, Japan will calm down. But Britain and France will openly demand concessions and expanded interests. You know how brutal and ugly they were during the Opium Wars and the Arrow War. They are barbarians wearing the mask of civilization. The U.S. is the only true friend the Republic of China has."
This was less a friendly persuasion and more a veiled threat. To the U.S., friendship was worth less than a penny.
Within China, communist activities were intensifying, and the Republic of China feared direct confrontation with revolutionary Russia. Without U.S. backing, they had no hope of resisting aggression from Japan, Britain, and France. Thus, the Chinese government reluctantly accepted the U.S. proposal.
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The Outcome
Japan was the most surprised by this turn of events. They had expected the U.S. to strongly advocate for China's territorial integrity, but the U.S. had unexpectedly sided with Japan. As a result, Japan's plan to use Korean independence as a bargaining chip never came up. Compared to the interests in mainland China, Korean independence was insignificant to the U.S.
After much back-and-forth, the Nine-Power Treaty established the following:
Self-determination for ethnic groups in China: Except for the Republic of China, the signatory nations would not interfere with the right to self-determination for ethnic groups.
2. Republic of China's sovereignty: The Republic of China retained the right to handle independence issues within its territory.
3. Open Door Policy: Nations with interests in China, including Japan in Manchuria and Britain in its concessions, would open their territories to equal economic opportunities for all signatory nations.
(*This meant that even if Japan achieved independence for Manchuria, signatory nations would have the right to conduct economic activities there.*)
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Japan's Mixed Feelings
While the dissolution of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was regrettable, the Japanese government was relieved that the Naval Treaty , Four-Power Treaty , and Nine-Power Treaty had been concluded. The Naval Treaty, in particular, was a crucial achievement. If not for the Navy's stubborn insistence, Japan would have preferred to scrap the Mutsu as well.
Japan's naval expansion plans, known as the Eight-Eight Fleet Program , were overly ambitious. The estimated cost of building the fleet alone was 2.4 billion yen (spread over multiple years), with annual operating costs of 250 million yen . For a country with a national budget of around 1.5 billion yen , this was a ruinously expensive project.
The Naval Treaty also led to the conversion of several battleships and battlecruisers under construction into aircraft carriers.
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Takashiro's Dilemma
"This is troubling. Things have gone too well. I had planned to use U.S. pressure to force Korea's independence in exchange for Manchuria's independence, but now…"
Takashiro Soryu found himself grappling with the unintended consequences of his own actions. His additional telegraphic intervention had worked too well.
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A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 39!
The conference has concluded, but the implications are far-reaching.