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12 Siam - Rising Sun Under King Prajadhipok

The second period, Rattanakosin Period prior to the Reign

of King Prajadhipok, (1768 A.D. – 1925 A.D.)

The loss of Ayutthaya Kingdom for the second time in 1767 A.D.

followed by Japan’s shutdown interrupted the growth of the relationship
between Siam and Japan.No clear evidence appeared until 1853 A.D.

when the United States Navy led by Commodore Matthew Perry on the
black sailboat reached the Edo waters, forcing Japan to open for western
trades. However, leaving Japan was still illegal until 1868 A.D. when the

Meiji reform took place and greatly changed the structure of Japan’s
ruling system through the conquest of power from the Shogunate back

to the emperor. Japan, then, led the country into the industrial system
resulting in the development of better military powers. At the same time,
Siam itself entered the world capitalism in the reign of King Mongkut

(King Rama IV) under the Bowling Treaty caused by the British influence
and the economic factors in the need to accumulate the capital to adapt

to a universal state, or from a conservative state to a centralized state
or an absolute monarchy in 1868 A.D. In the reign of King Chulalongkorn
(King Rama V), the political context was in the midst of colonization

between British and French imperialism similar to Japan in the midst of
colonialism by western powers. Both kingdoms were to look for partners

in the same region in Asia resulting in the restoration of relations between
the two countries with a formal establishment of “Declaration on Royal
Amity and Trade between Siam and Japan” signed on September 26,

1887 A.D. Japan’s role in Siam at the time was mainly on diplomatic
relations, different from the previous trade flows between the east and

west. Since then, the relationship between the two countries gradually
increased as appearing on both official and private documents as follows:

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