ABSTRACT
Wilson's Fourteen Points and was the foundation for America's initial proposal on the Shandong question.
To bring about a lasting peace Wilson brought to Paris his plan for a League of Nations. For the League to become an effective force, however, it was imperative that Japan be a member; yet Japanese leaders and the Japanese press were already discussing the possibility of a new war between Japan and an Anglo-American entente. As the Japanese delegation also made quite clear to Wilson early in the Paris talks, Tokyo could not consider participating in the League until the Shandong question was resolved. As a result, a just resolution of the Shandong question that would satisfy not only the Japanese government but also the Japanese people became the linchpin determining whether' or not President Wilson could realize his Fourteen Points.
