Sakhalin, a territory that belonged to both Japan and Russia: An era when the border was not defined

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K13617
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 06020:International relations-related
• Research Institution: Otaru University of Commerce
• Principal Investigator: DAIGO RYUMA 小樽商科大学, 商学部, 准教授 (70802841)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 黒田清隆 / 榎本武揚 / 樺太島仮規則 / 樺太千島交換条約 / 長崎稲佐ロシア海軍基地

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study clarified how the Russo-Japanese border issue over Sakhalin, a territory that had belonged to both Japan and Russia, was resolved and what implications this resolution had for Japanese politics and diplomacy. Specifically, while focusing on the border issue of Sakhalin, the Maria Luz Incident and the Nagasaki Inasa land lease issue, which occurred around the same time but have tended to be overlooked, were included in this study to comprehensively examine the transformation of Japan-Russia relationship in 1875 and its significance in light of the political situation both domestically and abroad. Specifically, I showed that Kiyotaka Kuroda, Takeaki Enomoto, and others, amid a multilayered structure of confrontation at home and abroad, managed to conclude the Treaty of Exchange for Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, thereby adjusting Japan’s relationship with Russia and creating the conditions for its subsequent expansion into East Asia.

Free Research Field

日本政治外交史、日露関係史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、明治初期の日露関係史の研究を事実上完了することができ、今後日露戦争への道を研究していく上で基礎となる前史に当たる部分を固めることができた。現代的に見ても、ロシアとの間で国境画定を実際に実現した過程を振り返ることは、現在の北方四島問題を考える上でも重要である。