On August 15, 1914, Japan, partner with Great Britain in an Anglo-Japanese Alliance, delivered an ultimatum to Germany demanding that German warships withdraw from the waters of Japan and China or disarm, and that Germany turn over to Japan the concession of Kiaochow and its port of Tsingtao. Japan declared war on Germany on August 23 after Germany failed to respond within Japan's one-week time limit.
Das japanische Ultimatum.'Gib her dein Papier . . . Den unangenehmen Eindruck werden wir gleich verwischen!'Kriegs-Karte der 'Lustigen Blätter' Nr. 15.The Japanese Ultimatum.'Give me your paper . . .We will wipe away the offensive impression!'Reverse:Verlag der Lustigen Blätter (Dr. Eysler & Co.) G.m.b.H. Berlin SW 68Druck von Hermann Bergmann, Berlin S.W. 48.Publisher of the Lustigen Blätter (Dr. Eysler & Co.) G.m.b.H. Berlin SW 68Printing by Hermann Bergmann, Berlin S.W. 48.
"(1) All German warships must be withdrawn at once from the waters in the neighbourhood of Japan and China. The ships that cannot be withdrawn must be disarmed.(2) The German Government must unconditionally and without compensation hand over to the Japanese authorities the whole of the leased territory of Kiao-chau before the 16th September, 1914, for the purpose of handing this territory back to China."
A 'friendly request to the German Government, which was communicated to them on the 15th August, 1914' as reported by the Japanese Ambassador at Vienna to Count Berchtold, Austro-Hungarian Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on August 20. Under the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, the Japanese government had proposed to Britain seizing the German territory of Kiaochow including the city of Tsingtao.
Collected Diplomatic Documents Relating to the Outbreak of the European War, page 533, publisher: His Majesty's Stationery Office by Harrison and Sons, publication date: 1915
1914-08-15, 1914-08-23, Japanese ultimatum, Japanese ultimatum to Germany, Tsingtau, Kiaotschau, China, Japan
