Treaty of San Francisco

Lore & Background

China was not invited due to disagreements on whether the Republic of China or the People's Republic of China represented the Chinese people. Korea was also not invited due to a similar disagreement on whether South Korea or North Korea represented the Korean people. The Soviet Union opposed the treaty, with Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko detailing objections including that it did not guarantee against Japanese militarism, that China was excluded, and that it violated the Yalta agreement regarding Soviet sovereignty over South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands.

Reader's Guide

The Treaty of San Francisco, along with the Security Treaty signed that same day, marks the beginning of the San Francisco System, which defines Japan's relationship with the United States and its role in the international arena and characterizes Japan's post-war history. The treaty relied heavily on the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In Article 11, Japan accepted the judgments of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and other Allied War Crimes Courts. The treaty ended the Allied occupation and restored full sovereignty to Japan, while allocating compensation to Allied nations and former prisoners of war.

Did You Know?

• Ceylon (Sri Lanka) defended Japan at the conference, with Finance Minister J. R. Jayewardene refusing reparations that would harm Japan's economy, citing Buddhist teachings.
• Pakistan was invited because it was seen as a successor state to British India, a major combatant against Japan.