Where was the treaty signed ending the Russo-Japanese War?

The treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War was signed at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Known as the Treaty of Portsmouth, it was signed on 5 September 1905 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, formally ending the war between the Russian Empire and Japan.

The negotiations took place in the United States from August to September 1905. U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt helped bring the two sides together and acted as an intermediary, earning the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomatic efforts. Japan had won important victories but was also under financial strain, while Russia faced military and political pressure.

The treaty recognised Japan’s dominant position in Korea, transferred Russia’s leasehold rights in southern Manchuria and the Liaodong Peninsula, and gave Japan the southern half of Sakhalin Island. Russia did not pay Japan an indemnity, despite Japan’s demands. A common mix-up is the location: the conference is associated with Portsmouth, New Hampshire, but the naval shipyard itself is technically across the Piscataqua River in Kittery, Maine.