A Far-Eastern Locarno? Japanese Proposals for a Regional Security Pact in the 1930s

Abstract

Following World War I, nations were bent on making the Versailles peace arrangements work. Within the framework of the League of Nations, regional arrangements came to play an important role. Taking the 1925 Locarno Treaties concluded between Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy as the model, the Japanese Government, with Shidehara Kijūrō as foreign minister, hoped to contribute to strengthening peace in the Far East by adopting a similar policy. Although the plan did not materialize, this paper shows the lengths to which Japanese policy makers were willing to go to make their plan for peace and security in the Far East a reality.