1st Edition

Japan's Early Experience of Contract Management in the Treaty Ports

By Yuki Allyson Honjo Copyright 2003
    262 Pages
    by Routledge

    264 Pages
    by Routledge

    This is the first in-depth study of the early trial-and-error experiences of contracting between Japanese and western merchants trading in the Japanese Treaty Ports in the eighteen year period immediately following the opening of the ports in 1859. Fundamental to the equation were the inevitable east-west cultural and legal ambiguities that impacted on the traders. The learning curve for both westerners and Japanese regarding the nature and application of western contracting law was predictably difficult, tortuous and open to constant misunderstanding. Nevertheless, it was within such a framework that the principal benchmarks for trade with Japan were set down and which, in essence, have lasted to the present day.

    Acknowledgements  Table of Figures  Introduction  1. The Tokugawa Legacy  2. Treaty Ports: Boundaries and Borders  3. Reaching Agreement: The Mechanics of Promise and Payment  4. Description of Cases  5. The Avenues of Legal Redress  6. In Pursuit of a Bargain  7. Promise, Agreement, and Contract: Ito Hachibei vs. Walsh, Hall & Co.  8. Towards Implications and Theory  Conclusion: The Republic of Commerce  Notes  Bibliography  Index

    Biography

    Yuki Allyson Honjo

    'Providing many valuable insights into the details of treaty port  life and supported by extensive evidence from primary sources, Honjo's book makes for fascinating reading' - Monumenta Nipponica