Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty of 1907

Infobox Korean name
hangul = 정미7조약
hanja = 丁未七條約
rr = Jeongmi joyak
mr = chongmi choyak
The nihongo|Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty|第三次日韓協約|Dai-sanji Nikkan Kyōyaku was concluded on 24 July 1907, between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire.

The Korean Empire had become a protectorate of Japan under the terms of the earlier Eulsa Treaty on 1905, and had thus lost the right to conduct diplomatic exchanges with other countries. Korean Emperor Gojong of Korea sent an envoy in secret to the Hague Conference on World Peace to protest Japan’s actions. In retaliation, on 18 July 1907, Japan made Emperor Gojong abdicate in favor of his son Sunjong.

Six days later, a new agreement was forced on the Korean government. Provisions in this new treaty gave the Japanese Resident-General the right to appoint and dismiss high-ranking officials (article 4) and stipulated that all high-ranking officials appointed to the Korean government must be Japanese (article 5). This brought the internal government of Korea fully under the control of Japan. The unpublished section of the treaty also placed the Korean army under Japanese leadership, and handed over judicial and policing powers.

Translation of full text

"The Governments of Japan and Korea, with a view to the earyl attainment of prosperity and strength in Korea and the speedy promotion of the welfare of the Korean people, have agreed upon and concluded the follow stipulations:

* Article I. The Government of Korea shall follow the directions of the Resident General in connection with the reform of administration.
* Article II. Korea shall not enact any law or ordinance or carry out any administrative measure unless it has previous approval of the Resident General.
* Article III. The judicial affairs of Korea shall be kept distinct from ordinary administrative affairs.
* Article IV. No appointment or dismissal of Korean officials of high grade shall be made without the consent of the Resident General.
* Article V. Korea shall appoint to official positions such Japanese as are recommended by the Resident General.
* Article VI. Korea shall not engage any foreigner without the consent of the Resident general.
* Article VII. The first clause of the agreement between Japan and Korea, dated Aug. 22, 1904, is hereby abrogated." ["Says Japan Wants No More in Korea." The New York Times, July 26 1907, p4]

: Lord Itō Hirobumi [Marquess] , Resident-General, July 24th, 40th year of the Meiji era [1907] (seal): Sir Lee Wan-Yong, Prime Minister, July 24th, 11th year of the Gwangmu era [1907] (seal)

Diplomatic Memorandum (unpublished)

Based on the import of the Japan-Korea treaty of the 40th year of the Meiji era, the following items shall be enacted.

(1)　The folling courts, composed of people from both Japan and Korea, shall be newly established.

* 1 One nihongo|Supreme Court|大審院|daishin'in located in Gyeongseong Seoul or Suwon.The nihongo|President|院長|inchō and nihongo|Attorney General|檢事總長|kenjisōchō|modern kanji 検事総長 of the Court shall be Japanese. Two of the nihongo|Justices|判事|hanji and five of the nihongo|secretaries|書記 shall be Japanese.

* 2 Three nihongo|Courts of Appeal|控訴院|kōsoinOne shall be located in the central region, and one each in the northern and southern regions.Two of the Justices, one of the nihongo|attorneys|檢事|kenji|modern kanji 検事 and five of the secretaries shall be Japanese.

* 3 Eight nihongo|District Courts|地方裁判所|chihō saibanshoOne of these shall be located at each of the locations of the nihongo|prosecutor's offices|觀察府所在地|kansatsufu shozaichi|modern kanji 観察府所在地 in the eight former nihongo|provinces|道|dōThe nihongo|chief prosecutors|所長|shochō and nihongo|head attorneys|檢事正|kenji|modern kanji 検事正 shall be Japanese.32 of all attorneys and 80 of all secretaries shall be Japanese, and shall be allocated as appropriate given the degree of work required.

* 4 103 nihongo|Ward Courts｜區裁判所|ku saibansho|modern kanji 区裁判所Thesе are to be located in the locations of important nihongo|regional offices|郡衙|gungaOne of the attorneys and one of the secretaries is to be Japanese.

(2) The following prisons shall be newly established.

* 1 Nine prisonsOne prison shall be located in the same area as each of the district courts, and one prison on one of the islands. The nihongo|governor|典獄|tengoku shall be Japanese. Half the prison staff, consisting of the nihongo|head warden|看守長|kanshuchō and levels below, shall be Japanese.

(3) Military forces shall be arranged as follows.

* The nihongo|first battalion|一大隊|ichidaitai of the army, assigned to guarding the Emperor and other duties, shall be disbanded.
* Educated nihongo|officers|士官|shikan shall be assigned to the Japanese army for training in the field, except where it is necessary for them to remain in the Korean army.
* Appropriate provisions shall be made in Japan for training Korean soldiers to become officers.

(4) All those currently in the service of Korea with the position of nihongo|advisor|問顧|komon or nihongo|parliamentary councillor|參與官|san'yokan|modern kanji 参与官 shall be removed from their duties.

(5) The following Japanese shall be appointed as officials in the Korean nihongo|central government|中央政府|chūō seifu and nihongo|local authorities|地方廳|chihōchō|modern kanji 地方庁.

* for each department
* The nihongo|chief of the internal police|内部警務局長|naibu keimu kyokuchō
* One nihongo|police commissioner|警務使|keimushi and one nihongo|deputy commissioner|副警務使|fuku-keimushi
* For the cabinet, several nihongo|secretaries|書記官|shokikan and nihongo|assistant secretaries|書記郎|shokirō
* For each department, several secretaries and assistant secretaries
* An nihongo|administrator|事務官|jimukan for each province
* One nihongo|head of the police|警務官|keimukan for each province
* Several nihongo|local secretaries|主事|shuji for each province

The matter of other appointments of Japanese as officials in the areas of finance, policing and technology shall be set down by a later agreement.

References

ources

* Much of this article was translated from the equivalent article in the Japanese Wikipedia, as it was on 5 September 2006.