 With the American entry into World War I on 6 April 1917, the United States and Japan found themselves on the same side, despite their increasingly acrimonious relations over China and competition for influence in the Pacific.This led to the Lansing–Ishii Agreement of 2 November 1917 to help reduce tensions.On July 9, Commander Kyōsuke Eto, military attaché with the Royal Navy, was killed in the disaster.