Thailand’s Non-aggression Pacts with Britain, France and Japan(05)

Thailand’s Non-aggression Pacts with Britain, France and Japan(05)

In Article 5, each contracting party undertook to respect in every way the sovereignty or authority of the other contracting party over her territories; neither one should intervene in any way in the internal affairs of such territories and should abstain from any action calculated to give rise to or assist any agitation, propaganda or attempted intervention aimed against the integrity of any such territory which had for its purpose the change by force of the form of government of any such territory. This Article seemed likely to oblige the Thai irredentists to give up their desire of regaining the ceded territories from Britain and France.

The Japanese had not yet replied, when the British and French agreed to sign the pacts. At first the Japanese did not appear to favor participation in a non-aggression pact with Thailand. This was certainly because it was deemed irrelevant to Japan’s policy of southward advance, in which Thailand would be used for passage of its troops to attack the British in Burma and Malaya.

However, the Japanese, in their diplomatic race with France and Britain, changed their minds, and, furthermore, wanted an agreement of a “definite” nature. They were unwilling to adopt the model of the non-aggression pacts accepted by Britain and France. 

Two reasons were furnished: one was that they did not wish to offend the Axis Powers by appearing to associate themselves too closely with the Allies; the other was that there was as yet no precedent for Japan to sign a non-aggression pact with another country.

The Japanese agreed in principle to the signing of a non-aggression pact provided that its name could be changed into “Treaty Between Japan and Thailand Concerning the Continuance of Friendly Relations Between the Two Countries and the Mutual Respect for Each Other’s Territorial Integrity”, and that an article, which stipulated : There shall be an exchange of information and consultation on the matters which involve mutual interests” would be added. Furthermore, the Japanese requested that the treaty be signed in Tokyo instead of Bangkok.

In a meeting on April 26, 1940 many members of the Thai Cabinet expressed opposition to Japan’s desire to conclude a treaty with a different title to that of Britain and France.