Negotiation of the 1888 Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation and Its Historical Import

The first contacts between Mexico & Japan can be traced back to the sixteenth century, but these ties were to take on even greater significance in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, when both nations embarked on a modernization process that culminated in the signing of a Treaty of Amity, Commerce & Navigation in 1888. Iyo Kunimoto puts the background to this historic event into context for us, explaining how Japan, isolated & suffering economic hardship under the Tokugawa shogunate, was forced to enter into "unequal" treaties with the United States in 1854, & later England, Russia & Holland. Most-favored-nation clauses, judicial extraterritoriality, the loss of autonomy over customs duties & other repercussions of these agreements led to the decline of Japan's fledgling industry, until the new imperial Meiji regime came into power & devoted its energies to reinstating the nation's sovereignty as a constitutional monarchy. During this era, Mexico was anxious to establish trade & diplomatic relations with China & Japan, in the hope of reaping economic benefits after a protracted period of political instability. According to Kunimoto, two events facilitated this rapprochement: the setting up of Pacific steamship lines & the talks Matias Romero, the Mexican minister commissioned to the United States in Washington, held with Kogoro Takahira, the Japanese legation's charge d'affaires ad interim. These talks prompted Secretary Ignacio Mariscal to sign a Treaty of Amity, Commerce & Navigation on an equal footing with Japan, setting a precedent that would enable the latter to denounce the inequitable treaties it had signed with other countries. The Treaty marks the official starting point of a diplomatic relationship that has lasted 120 years. Adapted from the source document.