The 1960 U.S.–Japan Security Treaty and Protests
1960
The security relationship began with the settlement that ended the Allied occupation in 1952. Japan recovered control of its diplomacy while American troops remained under a separate agreement. [1] [2]
American bases would stay, and the United States would undertake to meet an armed attack in territory under Japanese administration as a common danger. Those were central terms of the security treaty signed in Washington on 19 January 1960. [2]
In Tokyo, ratification brought crowds into the streets. Some opposed the alliance itself; others opposed Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi and the way he forced the agreement through the lower house in May. Writing to Washington in June, Ambassador Douglas MacArthur II warned against treating the whole protest movement as a rejection of the United States. [3]
President Dwight Eisenhower canceled his planned visit to Japan, and Kishi announced that he would resign. The treaty nevertheless entered into force, with provisions for consultation, American military facilities, and action against an armed attack. [2] [3]
Related Diplomats
Sources
- Occupation and Reconstruction of Japan, 1945–52
SCAP authority; political and economic reforms; economic rehabilitation; Korean War and negotiations ending the occupation
- Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security — Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Articles IV, V, VI and X; signature date
- Ambassador MacArthur’s assessment of the treaty crisis
FRUS 1958–1960, volume XVIII, document 190; May 19 tactics, cancellation, resignation
- Diplomatic Representation for Japan
- Kōichirō Asakai — mission record (1957–1963)
- Kōichirō Asakai — mission record (1957–1963)
- Kōichirō Asakai — mission record (1957–1963)
- George Kung-Chao Yeh — mission record (1958–1961)
Related Reading
Cite This Article
The 1960 U.S.–Japan Security Treaty and Protests. Chanceries Diplopedia. Record b23ca154fbe18683edb0. https://chanceries.org/research/history/japan-security-7407a6eda6/