Commodore Matthew Perry Opens Japan

In 1852, President Millard Fillmore assigned Commodore Matthew C. Perry to force the opening of Japanese ports to American trade after more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation. Fillmore authorized Perry to use “gunboat diplomacy” in order to accomplish the task at hand. After nearly 250 years of isolation, the Japanese nation was about to be opened to the world by force. Perry’s fleet arrived at Uraga, near the entrance to Edo Bay, on July 8, 1853. Ignoring Japanese demands to leave, Perry had a white flag and a letter delivered to them. The message was clear: if the Japanese chose to fight, the Americans would destroy them. Promising to return in one year to hear Japan’s response to America’s demands, Perry then sailed for Hong Kong. However, Perry returned on February 13, 1854, after only half a year rather than the full year promised. This time, he arrived with ten ships and 1,600 men. Both actions were calculated to place even greater pressure on the Japanese. Perry was permitted to land at Kanagawa, near the site of present-day Yokohama, on March 8. The Convention of Kanagawa was signed on March 31, 1854. Perry signed as the American representative, while Hayashi Akira signed for the Japanese side. This marked the end of Japan’s era of isolationism, ultimately setting the country on a path toward modernization, imperial expansion, and conflict with the very power that had forced open its ports. These events were pivotal in the emerging world order. Within less than a century, the United States and Japan would find themselves on a direct course toward war, culminating in what would become the largest war in human history.