Ferris, John R.Wright, David C.Suzuki, Yu2017-12-182017-12-182010http://hdl.handle.net/1880/104696Bibliography: p. 97-110From 1858 to 1894, Japan was not an independent state, because of the unequal treaties. These treaties forbid the Japanese to possess the freedom to set the tariff rate as they wished, and also the Western nationals in Japan were immune from Japanese laws. Naturally, Japanese elites resented the unequal treaties, and considered this as the most important diplomatic problem that they had to solve. Since the British were the most powerful Western nation that was against treaty revision, negotiation with them was prioritized. From 1858 to 1885, Japan was seen as a semi-civilized nation that did not deserve equal diplomatic status, but from the mid-1880s this started to change. Japan's successful Westernization impressed British decision makers, and by 1890 they concluded that Japan had become a nation that was more civilized than any other non-Western nation, and consequently decided to sign a treaty on equal terms in 1894.iv, 110 leaves ; 30 cm.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.master thesis10.11575/PRISM/3695