<論説>青木外相期の条約改正交渉 : 方針形成と国際環境

Abstract

大隈条約改正交渉の収拾策としての明治二二年一二月一○日付閣議決定は、井上毅法制局長・伊東枢密院書記官長らの批准拒絶方針と、井上馨農商相・青木外相代理らの修正要求提起方針とを、後者を柱にしつつも両論併記した。一方、日本政府のこの弱体・分裂状態にドイツ等他の列強が取り入ったり、第一議会を強硬な条約廃棄論が席巻して政府を暴発に導いたりすることを危ぶむイギリスは、外国人裁判官任用要求を放棄した対案の早期提出で主導権をとる決断を下す。責任転嫁の対象を「英政府対案」で奪われ、対等条約の主張への配慮から本交渉開始にも踏み切れず、山県首相は対応に苦慮した。結局、第一議会後に青木外相が本交渉開始へ暴走して山県は政権を放棄し、青木が事実上更迭されて条約改正問題は凍結される。ただその結果は、日本は大隈交渉の白紙撤回、イギリスはスケープゴートにされる危険の回避、という各自の目標を一応達成したことをも意味していた。

The decision of the cabinet meeting of December 10, 1889 to take corrective measures following Okuma's negotiations for treaty revision, was to record two conflicting opinions: the first consisted of the proposal of Kowashi Inoue, the chief of the Legislation Bureau, and Miyoji Ito, the chief secretary of the Privy Council, insisting on rejection of the ratification of the new treaties, which had already been signed; and the second of Kaoru Inoue, minister for agriculture and commerce, and Shuzo Aoki, the Vice-minister for foreign affairs, which was the main position of the cabinet, demanded modifications in the new treaties. Anxious about the possibility of intervention by Germany or other Treaty Powers while the Japanese government was weakened and in disunity and fearing that a majority in the first parliament would push the government to take some dangerous step such as a denunciation of the existing treaties, the British government, on the other hand, decided to abandon demands for the appointment of foreign adjudicators and to take preemptive action by submitting new counter proposals. The Yamagata administration, deprived by the English government proposals of shifting responsibility for the delay of treaty revisions and unable to start negotiations itself out of consideration of the advocates of equal treaties, faced a dilemma. In the end, Aoki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, seized the initiative and started full negotiations, and the Yamagata administration resigned at the close of the first parliament. Aoki was in effect replaced and negotiations were suspended. These results, however, also meant that each party achieved its own ends: for Japan, the withdrawal of Okuma's proposals, and for Great Britain, the avoidance of the risk of being made into a scapegoat.