It was defined that the subjects that should operate international laws were sovereign states (For more information on modern sovereign states, refer to "Diplomatic concept brought by "Bankoku Koho."
そして国際法を担う主体は主権国家とされた（近代的な主権国家については後述「4.4.1『万国公法』がもたらした外交概念」を参照のこと）。