"Oh? Is that so? Your Highness Killian truly understands our country well. I never imagined you would even know the famous sites of Kyoto."
"Kyoto is the heart of Japan, where Your Majesty resides. Of course I should know it."
Emperor Ninkō.
The 120th Emperor of Japan and the current occupant of the throne—the spiritual center of the nation.
Although he held little real power, he had at least tried to fulfill his role, even making efforts to establish educational institutions within the imperial household.
Just as the Shogun had said, my meeting with the Emperor was conducted in a somewhat relaxed atmosphere rather than with strict ceremonial formality.
After all, this was not framed as a formal audience with a foreign envoy. Officially, it was the Emperor personally welcoming a man of Tokugawa blood.
"It must not have been easy to establish yourself abroad with mixed heritage. Yet you rose all the way to become the husband of the Queen. That is quite impressive. Forgive my ignorance, but does the King of Britain hold power as strong as the kings of Joseon or Qing?"
"Not exactly. There are still countries in Europe where monarchs wield strong authority, but the British Empire follows a cabinet system governed strictly by law. The monarch reigns, but does not rule."
"Then it sounds somewhat similar to our situation. Is there a position like the Shogun there as well?"
"There is a Prime Minister who leads Parliament. But the Prime Minister does not rule the empire either. Strictly speaking, what governs the British Empire is the law and the institutions. The Prime Minister, the monarch, and Parliament all operate within that legal framework."
Hearing about constitutional monarchy for the first time, the Emperor's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"How fascinating. Then what role do you play there, Your Highness? I heard you are a daimyo whose territory is even larger than Qing China."
"A daimyo… I suppose it is both similar and different. I am the Duke of Canada and a plenipotentiary envoy. But my authority comes from the law, not merely from being a prince consort or a duke."
"I see. The more I hear, the more intriguing it becomes. Do you believe Japan will someday move toward such a system?"
"That will depend on how this country's circumstances and sentiments evolve."
The man who had summoned me here.
Despite being reduced to a symbolic role behind the scenes, the Emperor seemed surprisingly interested in the British system.
Perhaps it was natural. A man who tried to establish educational institutions would naturally be curious about the systems of other countries.
Or perhaps he was dissatisfied with the reality of serving as little more than a figurehead with no real authority.
The Emperor repeatedly asked how European countries functioned and how they treated their monarchs.
Having roughly guessed his intentions, I made sure to emphasize how powerful monarchs still were, even in systems where royal authority had declined.
"…Thus, although Her Majesty does not personally rule the British Empire, the legal powers granted to the Crown are extremely strong. If she wished, she could even dismiss the Prime Minister—the equivalent of your Shogun. In other countries, the monarch's authority may be even stronger."
"So it is rule by law, but the law itself legitimizes royal authority. Interesting. According to the Shogun, our country will soon establish relations with yours. If that happens, there is no reason we should not adopt the advanced knowledge and institutions of your country."
"Exactly as Your Majesty says."
"I see. Very well. The details will be handled by the officials, but if we are to establish relations with a foreign country, I believe it should be with your nation—the one whose prince carries Tokugawa blood. However, there is one thing I wished to ask, which is why I summoned you."
"Anything Your Majesty wishes."
Emperor Ninkō chuckled softly and lowered his voice so that even I could barely hear it.
"If our country wishes to develop, should we not adopt the advanced ideas of foreign nations? What is Your Highness's opinion?"
"I believe much the same. After all, Japan's current prosperity came from quickly adopting the advanced culture of the continent through Qing China and Joseon, and then blending it with Japan's own character."
"Indeed. Then once trade begins, Western learning and ideas will naturally flow here. But is there not a way to organize and systematize this more effectively? That way our country could develop even further."
The words sounded admirable.
If one ignored how transparent the Emperor's intentions were.
The Emperor was still human. How much frustration must he have accumulated after spending his entire life as a powerless figurehead?
Even in Joseon, despite factional politics, ministers could never openly disregard the king. Qing China was even more absolute.
It was hardly surprising that Emperor Ninkō believed that adopting a system similar to Britain's might strengthen his authority.
Or at the very least weaken the power of the Shogun who had long overshadowed him.
To think the Emperor harbored such thoughts.
No wonder this was called the end of an era—powerful domains, the Shogun, and even the Emperor were all waiting for an opportunity to strike each other.
But now that I knew this, I could not let it pass.
I had already been searching for a suitable excuse to insert a particular clause into the treaty. Conveniently, the Emperor had just handed me the perfect idea himself.
"Your Majesty speaks wisely. I too hope both our nations prosper together. Let me think about how we might accomplish that… Hmm."
I pretended to ponder while sipping my drink, then spoke again after finishing another cup.
"Then let us do this."
"...?"
When the Emperor heard my proposal, his eyes widened in surprise. Then he smiled broadly and nodded.
Of course.
The more channels there were for introducing advanced knowledge, the better.
Seeing that such high-ranking men had such enlightened ideas made me smile as well.
The people of Japan must feel very fortunate.
How enviable.
* * *
With the meeting with the Emperor concluded successfully, there was no longer anyone who could obstruct the treaty.
Once Emperor Ninkō publicly declared that he welcomed the treaty with Britain—Japan's friend—the people shouting sonnō jōi immediately fell silent.
"The term barbarian refers to Western outsiders. But how could the great British Empire, where His Highness Killian—who carries Tokugawa blood—resides, possibly be considered barbarian?"
"That's right! When we speak of barbarians, we mean countries like France or Russia. The nation of His Highness Killian cannot possibly be classified as such!"
Watching them change their tune so quickly was almost impressive.
The whole world seemed to be spinning.
In any case, thanks to this favorable atmosphere, I was able to present the slightly revised treaty draft to the Shogun without difficulty.
"This is the draft of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity. If there are no objections, we may conclude the treaty in this form. Please review it and let me know your thoughts."
"Hmm… this…"
It was still a treaty of friendship, so although it was technically unequal, I had avoided making the restraints too obvious.
The real chains could always be applied later—after the inevitable war between the shogunate and the powerful domains.
"Article One. Eternal peace shall be established between the British Empire and Japan, and between their peoples, regardless of person or place. No objections there.
Article Two. The ports of Shimoda, Hakodate, Kobe, Niigata, Yokohama, and Nagasaki shall be opened. Tariffs shall be determined by mutual consultation. Within the treaty ports, British merchants shall be subject to British law. Opening the ports is acceptable, but the latter clause…"
"That cannot be avoided. Our legal systems are too different, and incidents in Qing China have already hardened European attitudes. Once Japan establishes modern legal codes, Britain will naturally respect them."
Extraterritoriality was indeed a hallmark of unequal treaties.
But Europe had already prepared the perfect justification: trade was unstable in Eastern systems where governments could arbitrarily manipulate laws and regulations.
Still, since tariff rates would be negotiated jointly, the Shogun did not raise strong objections.
Most of the remaining articles were fairly ordinary—most-favored-nation status, treatment of shipwreck survivors, emergency access to ports during bad weather, and the establishment of consulates.
The truly important provisions were the final two articles.
The Shogun carefully read Article Thirteen several times.
"Both nations shall form a mutual alliance. If either nation is attacked by another power and requests assistance, the other is obligated to respond. Even without a formal request, if the situation is deemed urgent, either nation may temporarily dispatch supporting forces.
Why was this additional clause included?"
"In case the situation becomes too urgent for a request to arrive in time. Communication could be cut off by hostile forces. It is simply a precaution."
"I see. In matters like this, caution is never a bad thing."
Under this clause, even if Russia, France, or the United States pressured Japan to open its ports, the shogunate could refuse and endure.
If they attempted gunboat diplomacy, the shogunate could interpret it as an attack and request British assistance.
And if rebellious domains rose in revolt, the shogunate could attempt to suppress them first—and request British support only if necessary.
Naturally, he felt reassured.
"And this final article… you say it was requested by His Majesty the Emperor?"
"Yes. His Majesty seemed a truly wise ruler concerned for the future of this nation. So I devised this clause to benefit Japan as well."
"Britain and Japan shall jointly establish the 'Eastern Advancement Development Fund,' providing educational opportunities abroad for talented individuals chosen by both nations. Japanese students may receive free education in Canada.
But why Canada? If one wishes to study the most advanced system, surely London would be the proper destination…"
"That is not the case. Forgive my frankness, but the gap between London and Edo is far too great. If your scholars visited London, how would they feel? Would they return burning with ambition to transform Edo into the same city?"
"Well… perhaps?"
"No. First they would feel overwhelmed. They would not know where to begin. It would feel like standing before an impossibly high wall. That is why I chose Canada. Canada is currently undergoing rapid industrialization. Within a decade or two, its major cities will rival London. Students will be able to witness the entire process—from modest towns to great industrial cities."
Of course, that was nonsense.
The students would receive carefully curated education praising the British Empire and the greatness of Killian Tokugawa, eventually becoming loyal first-generation immigrants who wished to settle permanently in Canada.
But the Shogun's expression brightened immediately.
"Ah! I understand. Since Japan is only beginning its development, observing Canada's growth would be far more practical than London."
"Exactly. And not only students. We will also accept large-scale immigration. Development requires not only scholars but also workers with practical experience in factories and industry."
That was another lie.
Canada desperately needed population. I intended to bring as many people as possible.
Most would be lower-class migrants who were easy to manage.
Once they settled comfortably in Canada, would they really want to return to Japan?
They would cling to Canada with both hands and refuse to leave.
"And if the Shogun has troublesome intellectuals he would rather not keep at home, you may send them to us. Once they receive a proper education in British Canada, they will return as loyal citizens devoted to national development."
"Oh! I never imagined such hidden meaning. Instead of dealing with troublesome scholars at home, we could simply send them abroad to study."
"Please rest easy and trust me. As long as I am here, the Tokugawa family will forever be praised as the heroes who transformed Japan into the most advanced nation in Asia!"
That statement was not entirely false.
Of course, the Tokugawa I meant was not Shogun Ieyoshi.
But I did not bother clarifying that detail.
In any case, my dear cousin Tokugawa Ieyoshi eagerly signed the treaty and stamped it with his seal.
As the representative of the British Empire, I signed as well and poured him another cup of sake.
Go on—have a drink.
At least you will be able to enjoy a pleasant dream while you are still alive.
Thus, the first treaty ever concluded between Japan and a Western power—
The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity—came into effect.