Treaty of Portsmouth

Treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War. It was signed at the Portsmouth Naval Base, New Hampshire, on Sept. 5, 1905. Germany, the United States, and Great Britain were instrumental in forcing conciliation between the belligerents. However, the United States and Britain exacted certain concessions from Japan before smoothing the way for the treaty. President Theodore Roosevelt agreed to Japanese dominance in Korea in return for American freedom of action in the Philippines. Russia was compelled to recognize Korea’s independence and the paramount political, military, and economic interests of Japan in Korea. The disputed Liaodong peninsula was turned over to Japan, as was the southern part of the island of Sakhalin. The Treaty of Portsmouth marked the temporary decline of Russian power in East Asia and the emergence of Japan as the strongest power in the area. (from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright © 2001-05 Columbia University Press).