Treaty of San Francisco

Not to be confused with Security Treaty between the United States and Japan or United Nations charter.
Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of Peace with Japan
Shigeru Yoshida, Prime Minister of Japan signing the San Francisco Peace Treaty on September 8, 1951 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California
SignedSeptember 8, 1951; 73 years ago (1951-09-08)
LocationSan Francisco, California, U.S.
EffectiveApril 28, 1952; 72 years ago (1952-04-28)
Negotiators
PartiesJapan and 48 of the Allies of World War II
DepositaryGovernment of the United States of America
Languages
Full text
Treaty of San Francisco at Wikisource

The Treaty of San Francisco (サンフランシスコ講和条約, San-Furanshisuko kōwa-Jōyaku), also called the Treaty of Peace with Japan (日本国との平和条約, Nihon-koku to no Heiwa-Jōyaku), re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of war, military occupation and providing for redress for hostile actions up to and including World War II. It was signed by 49 nations on 8 September 1951, in San Francisco, California, at the War Memorial Opera House.[2] Italy and China were not invited, the latter 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.[3]

The treaty came into force on April 28, 1952. It ended Japan's role as an imperial power, allocated compensation to Allied nations and former prisoners of war who had suffered Japanese war crimes during World War II, ended the Allied post-war occupation of Japan, and returned full sovereignty to it. This treaty relied heavily on the Charter of the United Nations[4] and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights[5] to enunciate the Allies' goals. In Article 11, Japan accepted the judgments of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East and of other Allied War Crimes Courts imposed on Japan both within and outside Japan.[6]

The 1951 treaty, 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.[7][better source needed]

  1. ^ Article 27
  2. ^ "Document 735 Editorial Note". Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Asia and the Pacific. Vol. VI, PART 1.
  3. ^ "San Francisco Peace Conference".
  4. ^ Preamble and Article 5
  5. ^ Preamble
  6. ^ "Treaty of Peace with Japan (with two declarations). Signed at San Francisco, on 8 September 1951" (PDF).
  7. ^ John W. Dower