<論説>寺内内閣時代の日中関係の一面 : 西原亀三と坂西利八郎

Abstract

西原借款で有名な西原亀三は日記とぼう大な文書を残している。本稿はその研究の一部で、大隈内閣末期を論じた別稿に続くものである。期間は寺内内閣成立後約十ヵ月間をとりあつかう。また同文書中にある、従来その行動が明らかでない坂西利八郎の書翰により、両者の関係をみた。坂西ははじめ強硬策を主張し、西原は経済外交を主としているが、両者は対華策のうえでもしだいに接近する。それとともに、西原の施策は寺内内閣の中立政策と対立する。本稿の範囲では政府はなお中立政策を堅持し、勝田蔵相がやや逸脱する。この間、黎元洪と段祺瑞の対立、北方と南方との対立、督軍と南方派の対立、張勲の復辟など、変転する中国情勢のなかで、西原の政治的活動、外務省とも一定の連絡を保っていたこと、寺内－勝田－西原のいわゆる朝鮮組の活動を追跡し、従来の盲点を明らかにすることにつとめた。

Following my last article treating of the relations between Japan and China in the last years of the Okuma 大隈 Cabinet, this deals with those for the nearly ten years after the formation of the Terauchi Cabinet by making use of the diary and the voluminous documents which Nishihara Kamezo, well-known for his loan to China, left. And at the same time I also try to elucidate the relations between Nishihara and Sakanishi Rihachiro, analysing the latter's letters which are included in the documents. At the outset Sakanishi maintained to take a firm line with China, while Nishihara insisted on promoting peaceful economic diplomacy, but then their positions agreed gradually to each other. It isolated meanwhile the latter in the cabinet, which, in the span this article treats, had still consistently pursued neutralist policy except the Finance Minister Katsuda 勝田. As a result, these following themes are clarified : Nishihara's political actions, his constant connection with the Foreign Office and the actions of the so-called "Korean Group" of Terauchi, Katsuda and Nishihara under the changing conditions in China, such as Chang Hsün's 張勲 reinstatement and the confrontations between Li Yüan Uung 黎元洪 and Tuan Ch'i-jui 段祺瑞, the north and the south, Tuchun 督軍 military governor and the south.