Washington Conference was a meeting held in Washington, D.C., to discuss naval disarmament and certain problems involving east Asia. It took place from November 1921 to February 1922. Nations represented were Belgium, Britain, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United States. It led to one of the few successful disarmament agreements in modern times.
Three major treaties resulted from the conference. The Five-Power Naval Limitation Treaty, adopted by Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States, ended a growing build-up of major warships among these nations. It resulted in destruction of capital ships (battleships) and a 10-year prohibition on construction of more battleships. The Four-Power Treaty, signed by Britain, France, Japan, and the United States, recognized each nation’s possession of certain islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Nine-Power Treaty was signed by all the countries at the conference. Its chief purpose was to guarantee the independence of China. The treaty was observed until 1931, when Japan invaded Manchuria, a region in northeastern China.
