Foreign gunboats forced China, Japan and Korea to open to the outside world under mid-19th century treaties which included extraterritoriality , rules forbidding local courts from trying foreigners. Britain and the United States established courts in all three countries and, as trade grew, the British Supreme Court for China and Japan and the US Court for China. These courts - for over 100 years in China - dispensed British and US justice in the Far East. Extrality had a huge impact, which continues to this day, on how China and Japan view the world. This three-volume work tells its history through the fascinating cast of characters both on and before the bench and the many challenging issues the courts faced including war, riots, rebellion, murder, infidelity and even a failed hanging.