Abstract
Japan diplomacy at the beginning of the Showa period was developed as a product of conflicts over Continental policy that involved Tanaka diplomacy backed by the Seiyukai and the second Shidehara diplomacy backed by the Minsei-to. Nagai Ryutarou, a Party Politician, was the person who led Minsei-to diplomacy during this period. At the time in China, the nationalist movement was rapidly evolving, and the rights and interests of all nations were often placed in a state of jeopardy. Nagai continued policies of not sending troops, not interfering in Chinese internal affairs, and maintaining a conciliatory posture. He firmly believed that Japan needed to respect China's "Independence" and "Rights of Autonomy" and spoke and acted accordingly. Examining the particulars of Nagai's diplomacy towards China, one sees that he recognized that China controlled movements in public opinion, and that China judged foreign relations according to relationships of trust. Because there was that awareness in the background, he maintained a posture of appeasement from beginning to end. Moreover, because he held the view that an alliance with China, which like Japan is a country in Asia populated by people of color, could change the outlook of international relations which were mainly formed by Europe and the United States, and because he felt that Japan was in competition against the European and American countries with respect to relations with China, the appeasement diplomacy towards China was accelerated.
