Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

This paper focuses on the Municipal Council at Nagasaki foreign settlement through historical documents from foreign consulates and the Prefecture. To clarify the specific activities of this organization, this research demonstrates the meaning for both the foreign settlement and Japanese society.

Paper long abstract

Nagasaki had been a hub for foreign trade with China and the Netherlands since the Edo period. The signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and western countries in 1850s led to the birth of a foreign community in the treaty ports. Its function as an international trading port continued to the Meiji era, with the Japanese government providing a foreign settlement as a place for business executives and diplomats to live.

More than 10 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, and Russia, opened consulates in Nagasaki. China was the largest foreign population in Nagasaki, but until the Sino-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce established in 1871, the Chinese had a unique situation in which consular services were handled by hometown associations from Fujian and Canton.

Land regulations were drawn up to manage the Nagasaki settlement, and in 1861, Municipal Council as autonomous administration had launched. These regulations later served as a model for foreign settlements in open ports such as Yokohama, Kobe, and Osaka.

This paper focuses on the Municipal Council, which was responsible for the autonomy of Nagasaki foreign settlement. In particular, I would like to clarify the specific activities of this organization and examine its historical significance for both the foreign settlement and Japanese society. It is also important to consider how the Municipal Council maintained a balance with the consulars of each country and the Japanese administration. This research mainly analyzes historical documents from the British and American consulates, as well as those of Nagasaki Prefecture.