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On March 31, 1854, the or was concluded between Commodore Matthew Perry of the U.S. Navy and Japan. The treaty opened the Japanese ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to United States trade, guaranteed the safety of shipwrecked U.S. sailors and established a permanent consul. This would effectively end Japan's 200 year policy of seclusion (Sakoku). The treaty is widely considered to have been unfair to Japanese interests, as Perry's presence in Japan was a result of gunboat diplomacy on the part of the United States.

Perry initially refused to deal with Japanese officials and demanded to speak with the Japanese Head of State. At the time, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi was the de-facto ruler of Japan; for the Emperor to interact in any way with foreigners was out of the question. In the end Perry concluded the treaty with representatives of the Shogun and not the Emperor.

The Kanagawa treaty was followed by the United States-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1858, which allowed the establishment of foreign concessions, extra-territoriality for foreigners, and minimal import taxes for foreign goods.

Similar treaties were subsequently negotiated by the Russians, the French, and the British.

Contents

See also

External links

See also

★ United States-Japan Treaty of Amity and Commerce

★ Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty

★ Treaty of Shimoda

★ History of Japan

★ Unequal Treaties

External links

★ The Convention of Kanagawa, 1854 (full text)