Treaty of Portsmouth

The 1905 peace treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War, recognized Japan’s control of Korea, and transferred Russian rights in southern Sakhalin and southern Manchuria to Japan.

Korea under Japanese rule: The period from 1910 to 1945 when Korea was annexed and governed by the Empire of Japan. The treaty recognized Japan’s paramount political, military, and economic interests in Korea, preceding annexation.
Battle of Tsushima: A 1905 naval battle in which Japan decisively defeated Russia’s Baltic Fleet in the Tsushima Strait. The defeat weakened Russia’s position before peace talks began.
Korea: A peninsula in East Asia that was an independent kingdom and empire before Japanese annexation in 1910. Russia recognized Japan’s predominant political, military, and economic interests there.
Sergei Witte: A Russian statesman who led his country’s delegation at the Portsmouth peace negotiations. Witte resisted Japanese demands for an indemnity and helped secure terms Russia could accept.
Katsura–Taft Agreement: A 1905 exchange of views between Japanese prime minister Katsura Tarō and U.S. secretary of war William Howard Taft. Its relationship to Portsmouth raises questions about how great powers privately recognized Japanese influence in Korea.
South Sakhalin: The southern half of Sakhalin Island, transferred from Russia to Japan under the 1905 treaty. Its transfer was one of Japan’s territorial gains in the settlement.
Siege of Port Arthur: A prolonged 1904–1905 siege in which Japanese forces captured Russia’s naval base at Port Arthur. The loss of this fortress was among the major military reversals preceding negotiations.
Manchuria: A historical region in northeast Asia, largely corresponding to China’s modern Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang provinces. The treaty returned occupied areas to China while transferring Russian leases and railway rights to Japan.
Komura Jutarō: A Japanese diplomat and foreign minister who led Japan’s delegation at Portsmouth. Komura negotiated Japan’s territorial gains and the recognition of its interests in Korea.
Treaty of Portsmouth (1905) Nobel Peace Prize: The 1906 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Theodore Roosevelt for mediating the Russo-Japanese War settlement. The award prompts debate about what successful mediation means when a treaty also consolidates imperial power.

Linked from 16 pages