Foreign gunboats forced China, Japan and Korea to open to the outside world in the mid-19th century under treaties which required all three countries to exempt foreign nationals from local laws. This led to the establishment of British and American court systems which operated in China for over 100 years and in Japan for almost half a century. This system of Extraterritoriality has had a huge impact on how China and Japan view the world and impacts to this day on their mutual relationship, argues Douglas Clark in his new book, Gunboat Justice.

Gunboat Justice, published in three volumes by Earnshaw Books, is a full history of the era of extraterritoriality and the British and American courts that administered Western justice over their nationals in the Far East.  Gunboats were often called in to quell local opposition to the courts’ authority. This book presents a fascinating cast of characters both on and before the bench and the many challenging issues the courts faced including war, riots, rebellion, corruption, murder, infidelity, and even a failed hanging in a British jail in Shanghai.

The book contains with over 300 contemporaneous cartoons, illustrations and photos of the judges, lawyers, court cases and historical events that affected the courts. 

"A riveting work. The original research has obviously been extensive and the style is easy, disguising the erudition behind it."


—Rt. Hon. Sir Robin Jacob, Former Lord Justice of Appeal, Professor, University College of London

“A vital read. Here we find a century of foreign judges, lawyers and consuls attempting to control a city that attracted a legion of adventurers, criminals and sharks like no other in history. Gunboat Justice reveals the intersection of Shanghai’s formal administration and its dark underbelly. The most important book on Shanghai’s history for several decades.”

—Paul French, author of Midnight in Peking, winner of the Edgar Allan Poe award for best Fact Crime writing

“For the first time, we now have a comprehensive, well-informed and humane account of the people and procedures in the British and American courts of East Asia. Doug Clark’s book brings that world to life, and restores it to its place in our histories of the era of the ‘unequal treaties’.” 

—Robert Bickers, author of Empire Made Me, and The Scramble for China 1832-1914

“A fascinating account of an extraordinary historical period with a wealth of intriguing characters - and a serious matter at its core.”

—Jonathan Fenby, Author of the Penguin History of Modern China

A pathbreaking study of an important but long neglected topic, this book is a fascinating read and invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in law, empire and history in modern East Asia.

—Dani Botsman, Professor of History, Yale University, author of Punishment and Power in the Making of Modern Japan

Doug Clark is a practicing lawyer in Hong Kong who has lived in China, Japan and Korea for a total of over 25 years. Clark has trawled through dusty archives around the world to bring back to life this long-forgotten exotic world. 

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Includes a glass of wine or soft drink

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WEBSITE:  www.royalasiaticsociety.org.cn