自17世纪起，在毛皮资源的吸引下，俄国自勘察加半岛南下千岛群岛进行探险活动。抱着与东方世界建立商业联系的想法，俄国以南千岛群岛为据点，不断试图与日本建立商业联系。之后的几十年里，俄国多次接近日本北方的虾夷地，并在1739年到达本州岛东北部的仙台藩，日本历史上称其为“元文黑船”事件，打破了处于锁国体制之下的日本的平静，拉开了“北方危机”的序幕。
第一章主要介绍“北方危机”的源起，虾夷地处于日俄两国的接界之地，俄国的远东扩张势力南下与日本虾夷开拓政策在此地冲击碰撞，最终导致了“北方危机”的爆发。第二章以“北方危机”中的关键节点“贝尼奥夫斯基警告信”事件着手，在该事件的刺激下工藤平助、林子平以及本多利明三人为代表日本知识分子最先产生了危机意识，而后这种危机意识影响了幕府的北方政策，幕府派遣了第一批虾夷地探险队。第三章以国后目梨之战和俄国遣日使团两个重要事件为切入点，幕府的危机意识一步步加深，其北方政策实现了从摇摆到积极的转变，最终确定了对虾夷地直辖的政策。第四章主要着眼于“北方危机”对日本产生的最大的影响，即幕府对虾夷地的直辖的政策，幕府在虾夷地通过对阿伊努人的抚育和“日化”政策构建起“亲日防俄”的堡垒，而这一政策也导致了日本俄国研究的发展，最终虾夷地真正地完成了被纳入日本国土的“内国化”进程。
“北方危机”实质上是一种东西方文明碰撞的形式，也是日本幕末外交史上不可忽视的重要事件。本文以“北方危机”事件为契机，从根源上对日俄关系中的北方领土问题进行分析，关注以往被忽视的18世纪的日俄关系史，为研究日本幕末时期这段历史开拓一个新的思路与着眼点。

Since the 17th century, Russia has been exploring Kurile Islands from the Kamchatka Peninsula southward, attracted by fur resources. With the idea of establishing commercial ties with the Eastern world, Russia was constantly trying to establish commercial ties with Japan, using the South Kurile Islands as a base. In the following decades, Russia approached Ezo in northern Japan several times, and finally reached Sendai clan in the northeastern part of Honshu Island in 1739, it is known in Japanese history as the "Genbun Expedition" , which broke the peace of Japan under the lockdown system and started the "Northern Crisis".
The first chapter introduces the origin of the "Northern Crisis" . The "Northern Crisis" erupted as a result of the collision of Russia's Far Eastern expansion with Japan's Ezo policy, which was located at the border between Russia and Japan. The second chapter begins with the introduction of the "Benioffsky Warning Letter" , in which Kudo Hirsuke, Hayashi Kotohira and Hondori Akira were the first Japanese intellectuals to develop a sense of crisis. This sense of crisis influenced the Shogunate's northern policy, and the first Ezo expeditions were dispatched, making the first attempt to change the Ezo policy. The third chapter takes the Battle of Kokugo-Meguri and the Russian mission as the starting point, the Shogunate's sense of crisis deepened step by step with two important events. The Shogunate's northern policy changed from wavering to active development, and finally decided on the policy of administering the Ezo. The fourth chapter focuses on the greatest impact of the "Northern Crisis" on Japan, namely the Shogunate's policy of administering of the Ezo, where the Shogunate built up a "defense against Russia" through nurturing and "Japanizing" the Ainu. This policy led to the development of Russian studies in Japan, and eventually Ezo was incorporated into Japanese territory, the "internalization" of Ezo was completed.
The "Northern Crisis" was essentially a form of civilizational collision between the East and the West, and an important event in the history of Japanese diplomacy at the end of the Shogunate. This paper takes the "Northern Crisis" as an opportunity to analyze the issue of northern territories in Japan-Russia relations from its roots, to focus on the previously neglected history of Japan-Russia relations in the 18th century, and to develop a new way of thinking and focus for the study of this period of Japanese history at the end of the Shogunate.