Among East Asian countries where the powerful countries of Western Europe were watching for a chance to invade, Japan was the first country that opened itself to the world and became a modern state through the Meiji Restoration, and it began to establish modern international relations not only with the West European countries but also with Asian countries around Japan.
他方、西欧列強が迫っていた東アジア諸国の中で、いちはやく開国し明治維新により近代国家となった日本は、西欧諸国のみならず、自国周辺のアジア諸国とも近代的な国際関係を樹立しようとした。