포츠머스조약과 배상금 문제

The Treaty of Portsmouth and the problem of war reparations

The problem of war reparations in the Treaty of Portsmouth was decisive condition determining conclusion of peace negotiation. Japan which gain a victory on both land and sea tended to take optimistic view relatively about war reparations and T. Roosevelt also thought that some war indemnities was inevitable. On the contrary, Russian Government took a stand against war reparations from the first. This attitude did not change until the negotiation was completed. Russia and Japan which held two opposed idea each other opened Portsmouth peace negotiation but the process was in danger of breakdown after all due to war reparations. Komura wanted to solve the problem of war reparations, which he longed to tie together both war indemnities and bisection of Sakhalin island ingeniously, however, it put his head into the noose. It was T. Roosevelt who arranged for peace negotiation of two nations that settled a crisis of breakdown in the negotiation. It is not too much to say that the role of T. Roosevelt is decisive in peace talks. Japanese diplomacy is turned around Roosevelt s finger in this regard.