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TaftKatsura agreement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The TaftKatsura Agreement (Japanese: Hepburn: Katsura-Tafuto Kytei, also known as the
Taft Katsura Memorandum) was a 1905 discussion (not an agreement) between senior leaders of Japan and
the United States regarding the positions of the two nations in greater East Asian affairs, especially regarding
the status of Korea and Philippines in the aftermath of Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War. It was not an
"agreement" and did not set out any new policies. There was no "secret": each side clarified to the other its
official, publicly announced positions.
The discussions were between United States Secretary of War William Howard Taft and Prime Minister of
Japan (Count) Katsura Tar on 27 July 1905. The Japanese leader stated Japan's reasons for its making a
protectorate of Korea. He repeated that Japan had no interest in the Philippines.[1] The US had acquired the
Philippines following its victory over Spain in the Spanish American War of 1898. In 1924, Tyler Dennett was
the first scholar to see the document; he described it as containing "the text of perhaps the most remarkable
'executive agreement' in the history of the foreign relations of the United States".[2] The consensus of historians
is that Dennett greatly exaggerated the importance of a routine discussion that changed nothing and set no new
policies. Historians pointed out there was no formal agreement on anything new.[1] The word "agreement" in
the documents merely means the two sides agreed that the English and Japanese versions of the meeting notes
both accurately covered the substance of the conversations.[3] President Theodore Roosevelt later agreed that
War Secretary Taft had correctly stated the American position.[2]
When Dennett first discovered the notes he assumed they indicated a highly significant "secret pact" between
the US and Japan in creating a basis agreement whereby the two formerly isolationist nations became world
powers.[2] The conversations regarded the extent of the spheres of influence of Japan and the United States, and
maintaining peace between them, in the event of victory of Japan over Russia in the Russo-Japanese War.
Some Korean historians have assumed that, in the discussions, the United States recognized Japan's sphere of
influence in Korea; in exchange, Japan recognized the United States' sphere of influence in the Philippines.
However, American historians examining official records report no agreement was ever madethe two men
discussed current events but came to no new policy or agreement. They both restated the well-known official
policies of their own governments. Indeed, Taft was very careful to indicate these were his private opinions, and
he was not an official representative of the U.S. government (Taft was Secretary of War, not Secretary of State).
[1][4]

Contents
1 Details
2 Context of agreement
3 Korean reaction
4 See also
5 References
6 Bibliography

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Details
The TaftKatsura Memorandum consists of the English and Japanese versions of the meeting notes of the
conversation between Prime Minister Katsura and Secretary of War Taft, held in Tokyo on the morning of 27
July 1905. The memorandum detailing these discussions was dated 29 July 1905.
Three significant issues were discussed during the meeting:
First were Katsura's views on peace in East Asia, which according to him formed the fundamental
principle of Japan's foreign policy and was best accomplished by a good understanding between Japan,
the United States, and Great Britain.
The second issue concerned the Philippines. On this, Taft observed that it was in Japan's best interests to
have the Philippines governed by a strong and friendly nation like the United States; Katsura claimed that
Japan had no aggressive designs on the Philippines.
Finally, regarding Korea, Katsura observed that Japanese colonization of Korea was a matter of absolute
importance, as he considered Korea to have been a direct cause of the just-concluded Russo-Japanese
War. Katsura stated that a comprehensive solution of the Korea problem would be the war's logical
outcome. Katsura further stated that, if left alone, Korea would continue to improvidently enter into
agreements and treaties with other powers, which he said created the original problem. Therefore, Katsura
stated that Japan must take steps to prevent Korea from again creating conditions which would force
Japan into fighting another foreign war.
For his part, Taft concurred that the establishment of a Japanese protectorate over Korea would directly
contribute to stability in East Asia. Taft also expressed his belief that President Roosevelt would concur in his
views in this regard.
There were three substantive areas of understanding in the conversation. First, Taft said to Katsura that some
pro-Russians in America were publicly claiming that the recent war between Japan and Russia was a certain
prelude to aggression by Japan against the Philippine Islands. Taft stated that Japan's only interest in the
Philippines would be to have these islands governed by a strong and friendly nation like the United States.
Count Katsura strongly confirmed that this was Japans only interest in the Philippines, and it already being the
case, Japan had no aggressive interest toward the Philippines.[3] Second, Count Katsura stated that Japan's
policy in East and Southeast Asia was to maintain general peace, and that the means of achieving this was a
good understanding between Japan, the United States, and Great Britain.[3] Third, Count Katsura stated that
because Korean autonomy resulted in Korea improvidently entering into agreements and treaties with other
powers, this was the cause of international complications leading to the war between Japan and Russia. Japan
therefore felt constrained to preclude any possibility of Korean autonomy. Secretary Taft stated that the
establishment of a suzerainty of Japan over Korea (i.e., the less powerful Korea would pay tribute to or be
somewhat controlled by the more powerful Japan), with Japanese military troops ensuring a requirement that
Korea enter into no foreign treaties without the consent of Japan, was a logical result of the war, and would
contribute to permanent peace in the East. Taft stated that his opinions were his own, but he believed that
President Roosevelt would concur.[3]
Although there was never a signed agreement or secret treaty, only a memorandum of a conversation, and the
conversations were kept secret for 20 years, President Theodore Roosevelt commented to his war Secretary Taft
"Your conversation with Count Katsura (sic) absolutely correct in every respect. Wish (sic) that you would state
to Katsura that I confirm every word you said."[2][3] Yet, there is controversy among historians as to the historic

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significance of the conversation and as to whether the language of the conversation constituted an actual
agreement in Realpolitik (i.e., an actual agreement was implied by the use of the language of diplomacy,
although not made explicit as a formal agreement).[1] The notes of the conversation were discovered in 1924 by
historian Tyler Dennett.[1] Dennett considered the notes to be of first rate significance, and asked permission for
publication from Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes. Dennett referred to the notes as "President
Roosevelt's Secret Pact With Japan".

Context of agreement
The Japanese were at war with Russia and had just destroyed two thirds of the Russia naval fleet in their war
over Korea in 1905, so victory by Japan was clearly imminent.[1] President Theodore Roosevelt was trying to
bring both Russia and Japan to peace negotiations.[1] The United States had obtained control of the Philippines
from its war with Spain in 1898. Roosevelt's War Secretary William Howard Taft stopped by in Japan on his
way to the Philippines.[1]

Korean reaction
Some Korean historians (e.g., Ki-baik Lee, author of A New History of Korea, (Harvard U. Press, 1984) believe
that the TaftKatsura Agreement violated the "KoreanAmerican Treaty of Amity and Commerce" signed at
Incheon on May 22, 1882 because the Joseon Government considered that treaty constituted a de facto mutual
defense treaty while the Americans did not. The Joseon Dynasty, however, ended in 1897. The Agreement has
been cited by some in Korea as an example that the United States cannot be trusted with regards to Korean
security and sovereignty issues.[5]

See also
List of Korea-related topics
History of Korea
Korean Empire
JapanKorea Treaty of 1905
Hague Secret Emissary Affair

References
1. Esthus, Raymond A. (1959). "The Taft-Katsura AgreementReality or Myth?". Journal of Modern History 31 (1):
4651. doi:10.1086/238298 (https://dx.doi.org/10.1086%2F238298). JSTOR 1871772 (https://www.jstor.org/stable
/1871772).
2. President Roosevelt's Secret Pact with Japan, Tyler Dennett, The Current History Magazine, October, 1924, [1]
(http://www.icasinc.org/history/katsura.html)
3. THE TAFT-KATSURA AGREEMENT, Steven J. Bucklin, Professor of Department of History, University of South
Dakota, [2] (http://people.usd.edu/~sbucklin/primary/taftkatsura.htm)
4. Jongsuk Chay (1968). "The Taft-Katsura Memorandum Reconsidered". Pacific Historical Review 37 (3): 321326.
JSTOR 3636866 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/3636866).
5. Yun Ho-u , "'Katcheura-Taepeuteu Miryak'eun hyeonjae jinhaenghyeong" '- '
(Katsura-Taft Agreement Is Present Progressive) (http://newsmaker.khan.co.kr/khnm.html?mode=view&
code=117&artid=10468&pdate=%EB%89%B4%EC%8A%A4%EB%A9%94%EC%9D%B4%EC%BB%A4-640
%ED%98%B8), Gyeonghyang dat keom (Kyunghyang.com), September 6, 2005 (in Korean).

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Bibliography
Esthus, Raymond A. "The Taft-Katsura Agreement--Reality or Myth?" Journal of Modern History, Vol.
31, No. 1 (Mar., 1959), pp. 4651 in JSTOR (http://www.jstor.org/stable/1871772)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=TaftKatsura_agreement&oldid=666616117"
Categories: 1905 in international relations 1905 in Japan 1905 in the United States
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PhilippinesUnited States relations Secret treaties Treaties of the Empire of Japan
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