What the Treaty of Peace with Japan (1951) Repudiates: The Discourse of Civilization During the First Sino-Japanese War as the Beginning of ‘Violence and Greed’

Why does Article 2 of the Treaty of Peace with Japan stipulate the territorial issues that occurred before World War II? Some 1947 drafts of this treaty indicate the year 1894 as the reference date for restoring Japan’s territory. Travaux préparatoires and other critical materials, such as the Cairo Declaration, which mentions ‘violence and greed’ in the context of expansionism, provide elements relevant for interpretation. This issue, however, is not confined to a territorial allocation as in other peace treaties. There is something more in the Treaty of Peace with Japan that attempts to repudiate. The oft-neglected question of the just cause of the First Sino-Japanese War—an event full of the discourse of civilization—could be relevant, which could be misinterpreted as rescuing the oppressed. But it would be appropriate to see it as a civilizing mission that otherized the targeted people. It seems the Treaty of Peace with Japan seems to have attempted to repudiate such ‘violence and greed’ that followed the First Sino-Japanese War. However, such an attempt raises further questions, as the Western Allies’ repudiation of Japan’s past also reminds us of the West’s own history. This short study attempts to raise questions on these matters.