We explain what the Treaty of San Francisco between Japan and the Allied countries was, as well as its provisions and consequences.
The Treaty of San Francisco was signed between 48 allied countries and Japan.
What was the Treaty of San Francisco?
The Treaty of San Francisco It was a peace treaty signed between Japan and most of the countries that had formed the Allied side during the Second World War (1939-1945). Although the war ended in 1945, the treaty It was signed on September 8, 1951, and entered into force on April 28, 1952.
During the early postwar years, the United States maintained an occupation government in Japan and dedicated itself to introducing administrative reforms and securing the Japanese alliance against the Soviet Union (USSR).
The triumph of the communist revolution in China in 1949 complicated the political situation for the United States in East Asia. Added to this was the beginning of the Korean War in 1950, which decided the US government to promote the signing of a peace treaty with Japan.
The Treaty of San Francisco It was signed by forty-nine countries and resolved the end of the American occupation of Japan and the reduction of Japanese borders to those they had in 1854 (before the expansion that had given rise to the Empire of Japan).
The Soviet Union refused to sign the treaty and only in 1956 did it unofficially agree to end hostilities with Japan.
Frequent questions
What was the Treaty of San Francisco?
The Treaty of San Francisco was a peace treaty signed shortly after World War II between Japan (which had belonged to the Axis Powers) and forty-eight countries on the Allied side. Although the war ended in 1945, the treaty was signed on September 8, 1951 and entered into force on April 28, 1952.
Which countries signed the Treaty of San Francisco?
The Treaty of San Francisco was signed by Japan and forty-eight Allied countries, led by the United States. The Soviet Union participated in the conference but refused to sign the treaty. The People’s Republic of China was not invited, and India declined the invitation.
What were the provisions of the Treaty of San Francisco?
The Treaty of San Francisco officially ended the state of war between Japan and the Allies, recognized the sovereignty of the Japanese people, and ended the Allied occupation of their territory. In any case, it allowed the permanence of US military bases. He also made official the reduction of Japan’s territory to the borders it had in 1854.
What were the consequences of the Treaty of San Francisco?
The Treaty of San Francisco allowed Japan to regain its sovereignty and prevented it from having to pay war reparations. However, at the same time the Security Treaty with the United States (revised in 1960) was signed, which was unequal in character, since it allowed the American government to administer military bases on Japanese territory without submitting to Japanese authority. These treaties strengthened relations between the two countries and founded the American-Japanese security system in East Asia and the Pacific.
The historical context
World War II ended on September 2, 1945, when the Japanese government signed an unconditional surrender to the Allies. Since then, Japanese territory remained occupied by Allied troops, mainly Americans.and its administration was in charge of the American general Douglas MacArthur.
Since 1945, the signing of a peace treaty with Japan was put on hold while the occupation government promoted the demilitarization of Japanese society and implemented institutional reforms.
Three events made the United States consider it urgent to sign it:
- The communist victory in China in 1949, which brought Mao Zedong to power.
- The Sino-Soviet alliance signed in February 1950.
- The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.
The United States convened a conference in San Francisco (California) that caused major international disagreements. India and China did not participate in the conference and the Soviet Union, although it participated, refused to sign.
The Treaty of San Francisco was eventually signed by forty-nine countries. on September 8, 1951 and entered into force on April 28, 1952.
Provisions of the Treaty of San Francisco
Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida led the Japanese delegation that signed the Treaty of San Francisco.
The main provisions of the Treaty of San Francisco were the following:
- The state of war between Japan and the allied countries was ended and the full sovereignty of the Japanese people was recognized.
- Japan was reduced to its 1854 borders, so it renounced territories that, in fact, it had already lost in 1945: Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), the Pescadores and Kuril Islands and the southern part of Sakhalin. All the islands of former Japanese sovereignty south of the Japanese archipelago were placed by the UN (United Nations Organization) under American administration.
- No war reparations were imposedwhich caused great discontent in many Asian countries that had been invaded by the Empire of Japan.
- American troops remained in Japanno longer as occupiers but as forces stationed according to an agreement between both countries, and limited Japanese rearmament was allowed.
Consequences of the Treaty of San Francisco
After the Treaty of San Francisco, the Security Treaty was signed, as a result of which Japan went from defeated status to natural ally of the United States in AsiaIt was a bilateral agreement, as the British, Australians, New Zealanders and Asian populations who had suffered under Japanese occupation refused to sign a multilateral pact.
While the Treaty of San Francisco was generous to Japan, the Security Treaty between Japan and the United States was unequal as it granted the American power the maintenance of multiple military bases in Japan with a status of almost extraterritoriality (that is, almost as if they were small American territories), with the right to introduce all types of weapons and without having to be accountable to the Japanese government.
Furthermore, the Security Treaty established that Japan was prohibited from denouncing the treaty and could not sign other defense agreements with third countries. This treaty, renegotiated in 1960, became the cornerstone of the Japanese and American security system in East Asia and the Pacific.
Between 1952 and 1959, Japan signed peace treaties with various Asian countries and, in August 1978, with the People’s Republic of China. All negotiations with the Soviet Union collided with the conflict over the sovereignty of the Kuril Islands, appropriated by the Soviets in 1945.
However, in 1956 the governments of The Soviet Union and Japan signed the Moscow Declaration which unofficially agreed to end hostilities between both countries.
Follow with:
References
- Colcutt, M., Jansen, M. & Kumakura, I. (1994). Japan. The Empire of the Rising Sun. Invoice.
- Hane, M. (2011). Brief history of Japan. Alliance.
- Masamoto, K. et al. (2023). Japan. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
- Stone, N. (2013). Brief history of World War II. Ariel.