"The President is of opinion that if Japan makes a treaty with the United States, all other foreign countries will make the same kind of a treaty, and Japan will be safe thereafter"

Townsend Harris, an American diplomat instrumental in opening Japan to the West during the nineteenth century, conveyed a nuanced perspective on Japan’s geopolitical situation as it faced growing pressure from Western powers. The expressed belief places significant weight on the United States as a pathfinder for international relations at a time when Japan’s centuries-old isolation was coming to an end. The President, likely referring to the Japanese shogunate or possibly President of the United States, appears to see a treaty with the United States not simply as a bilateral agreement, but as a strategic move with broader diplomatic consequences.

At the heart of the statement is the recognition of the United States' growing influence among Western powers and the perception that others, such as Britain, Russia, and France, would likely follow the precedent set by an American treaty. This perspective reflects the intricate balance of power in mid-nineteenth-century global politics. Japan, having witnessed the forceful opening of China through the Opium Wars and the aggressive demands of Commodore Perry, understood its vulnerability to foreign intervention. Making a treaty with the United States, therefore, entailed a calculated risk: hoping that by peacefully accommodating one major power under relatively favorable terms, it could shape the conditions of engagement with others.

The assertion that Japan "will be safe thereafter" also reveals a desire for stability and security through formalized, legal agreements rather than confrontation or war. Such treaties, it is implied, would establish boundaries and mutual expectations, perhaps limiting the scope for further Western impositions. Implicit in Harris's words is both the anxiety of a nation facing overwhelming external pressures and the optimism that diplomacy can secure Japan’s autonomy, albeit on new terms. The approach underscores both the agency Japan sought to retain and the constraints it faced, highlighting the significance of American diplomacy as a mechanism for systemic change in East Asia.