Historica Olomucensia

The paper aims to shed light on the circumstances that led to the signing of the first Franco-Japanese trade treaty in 1858. Because of the growing interest of the great powers in Japan in the second half of the 19th century, the study also follows the development of the French approach to the Japanese Islands and briefly addresses also the implementation of trade agreements and the growth of xenophobic tendencies in Japan. The core of the work is focused on the analysis of French interests in Japan and the effort to include them in the value spectrum of French foreign policy.

Keywords: France; Japan; 19th century; baron Gros; bakumatsu