Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation

Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation
Signed16 July 1894
LocationLondon
Ratified25 August 1894
Effective17 July 1899
Expiry26 July 1941
SignatoriesThe Earl of Kimberley, John Wodehouse, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; Viscount Aoki Shūzō, Minister for Foreign Affairs
PartiesBritish Empire; Empire of Japan
LanguageEnglish
Read online: "Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation".

The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Commerce and Navigation (日英通商航海条約, Nichi-Ei Tsūshō Kōkai Jōyaku) signed by Britain and Japan, on 16 July 1894, was a breakthrough agreement; it heralded the end of the unequal treaties and the system of extraterritoriality in Japan. The treaty came into force on 17 July 1899 and lasted until 26 July 1941, less than five months before attack on Pearl Harbor.

When this treaty became effective, British subjects in Japan became subject to Japanese laws instead of British laws. The jurisdiction of the British Supreme Court for China and Japan, the British Court for Japan under it and consular courts in each treaty port ceased on that date, save for pending cases which were allowed to continue. British subjects from that date became subject to the jurisdiction of Japanese courts.