The Four-Power Treaty replaces alliance obligations with consultation

The Four-Power Treaty brings Britain, Japan, France, and the United States into an agreement over Pacific possessions. Disputes among the signatories that diplomacy cannot settle are referred to a joint conference. An outside threat requires frank consultation over the most effective joint or separate response. The agreement initially lasts ten years and thereafter can end on twelve months' notice. Its ratification provision explicitly terminates the earlier British-Japanese agreement. Russia remains the principal outside threat contemplated in this reading, but assistance depends on the particular case rather than following automatically.