The Japanese Government refused their demand because Isshinkai claimed for the mutual prosperity between Korea and Japan on a basis of Korean and Japanese people's equal position, which was completely different from the merger and annexation of Korea, that Japan was expecting, and also Japan was taking its own policy that any request from Korea was unacceptable for the Japanese annexation of Korea.
一進会の主張はあくまで日韓両国民の対等な地位に基づく日韓共栄であって日本の考える韓国の吸収併合とは全く異なるものであることや、日韓併合については韓国側の要求は一切受け入れない方針であったため日本政府は一進会の請願を拒否した。