The Anglo-Japanese Alliance, first signed in 1902 and renewed twice before lapsing in 1923, was Britain's first peacetime military alliance with a non-European power. Zambia's decision to commemorate its centenary is an odd fit — the Alliance had no meaningful connection to Central Africa — but the piece belongs to a broader category of Zambian numismatic issues from this period that were produced primarily for the collector market rather than domestic circulation, with subject matter chosen to appeal to Japanese and British buyers.
The Alliance's eventual collapse owed largely to American pressure at the 1921 Washington Naval Conference.
The Anglo-Japanese Alliance, first signed in 1902 and renewed twice before lapsing in 1923, was Britain's first peacetime military alliance with a non-European power. Zambia's decision to commemorate its centenary is an odd fit — the Alliance had no meaningful connection to Central Africa — but the piece belongs to a broader category of Zambian numismatic issues from this period that were produced primarily for the collector market rather than domestic circulation, with subject matter chosen to appeal to Japanese and British buyers.
The Alliance's eventual collapse owed largely to American pressure at the 1921 Washington Naval Conference.