The problem of establishing trade and diplomatic relations with Japan in the first half of the 19th century

This article is devoted to the study of attempts to establish trade and diplomatic relations between Japan and Russia in the first half of the 19th century. Due to Japan's closed country policy, it remained largely unknown for a long time, but its territorial location aroused considerable interest in many areas, including trade. The colonial policy of European states and America in the 19th century was one of the key elements of the world order of that time. The attention of these countries was focused on the Pacific region in general, and on China and Japan in particular. This work examines attempts to establish trade and diplomatic relations with Japan, analyzes the reasons for the failures and misunderstandings that occurred during the missions of Adam Laxman, Nikolai Rezanov, and Vasily Golovnin. Based on official documents, the position of the parties is highlighted. The so-called “Golovnin incident”and its significance for Russian-Japanese relations are considered. Quotes from documents of the period under review and assessments of modern historians are provided. Particularly valuable are the testimonies of contemporaries of the events that took place and citations from “Edict to Repel Foreign Vessels” which contains important information about the attitude of the Japanese government of that time towards foreign citizens. The study pays special attention to the analysis of changes in public opinion of the Japanese people, the evolution of ideas about foreign countries and how the Japanese nobility responded to changes in political life in the first half of the 19th century

Aesthetics · Economic history · Economics · International trade · Late 19th century · Political science · Chinese history and philosophy · History · Japanese History and Culture · Philosophy