ABSTRACT
In the middle of April, 1901, Foreign Minister Kato instructed Minister Tadasu Hayashi to open negotiations with Great Britain in his individual capacity.7 The preliminaries progressed smoothly, and on August 4 an important meeting of the genro (Ito, Inouye, and Yamagata) and Prime Minister Katsura was held to determine the basic principles to be embodied in the treaty.8 A series of meetings of the cabinet was held during the summer and fall, and finally, on October 8, Foreign Minister Komura instructed Minister Hayashi to proceed with full powers in the negotiations.9
