ABSTRACT
THE EVENTS of the Iwakura Mission, and the diplomatic friction which followed its return, clearly established a diplomatic faultline between Parkes and the Meiji Government. Whatever might happen in the future treaty revision and international equality were and would remain central aims of Japanese foreign policy. For a while, however, the pragmatism of Japan's dominant leaders coupled with important domestic and foreign distractions pushed the main issue of Anglo:Japanese relations into the background. For Parkes this produced a phase of unexpected diplomatic tranquility.
