Kuroda Kiyotaka resigned, effectively suspending all negotiations with the West. Following these events, the government was temporarily presided over by Sanjō Sanetomi and then handed over to Yamagata Aritomo. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Viscount Aoki Shūzō, was in charge of the delicate situation concerning the re-discussion of the treaties. Aoki then attempted to propose a new treaty that could avoid the emergence of internal problems. However, just when it seemed that an agreement had been reached, on 11 May 1891 a fanatic attacked a young westerner in the town of Ōtsu, leaving him partially disfigured. The victim was none other than Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, the future Tsar Nicholas II, and such a scandal forced the incumbent government to resign due to the difficult internal situation in the country. The new Treaties Following the Ōtsu incident, the government was headed by Matsukata Masayoshi, with Enomoto Takeaki as Foreign Minister. The new executive devoted itself to drafting a Civil Code and a Commercial Code, but once these were made public they were met with criticism. Both bills were rejected and the government fell again. Under these conditions, it was Itō Hirobumi, the man behind the 1889 Constitution, who was appointed Prime Minister on 8 August 1892. He chose as Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu, a diplomat who had gained extensive experience both as Minister of Agriculture in the Yamagata government and as Japan's Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States, a role that led him to be the signatory of the former Treaty of Friendship and Commerce with Mexico. Mutsu was intent on resuming negotiations and was able to avail himself of the availability of Lord Rosebery, then still Foreign Minister, and the help of Aoki Shūzō, who despite previous failures had shown great ability. Faced with yet more opposition from the Diet, the Prime Minister decided to resort to strong-arm tactics and dissolved the assembly. Once the internal obstacles had been removed, Ito and Mustu were able to devote themselves to drafting a new diplomatic agreement with Britain. The effects of the First Sino-Japanese War After complicated negotiations, an agreement on all points was finally reached on 13 July 1894. Growing tensions in the neighbouring kingdom of Korea, however, threatened to undermine the signing of the new treaty. Two factions had long been opposed in the country, one pro-Chinese, more conservative and linked to the imperial government, and one pro-Japanese, who