In July 1853, a fleet of American ships arrived in Japan's Edo Bay, demanding trading rights.
The expedition to Japan was commanded by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, who arrived in Japan for the first time in 1853, with the objective of negotiating commercial treaties with the ultra-protectionist Emperor Tokugawa. As a result of this approach, in 1854 the Treaty of Kanagawa was signed, thus opening the Japanese ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to trade with the United States, guaranteeing the safety of American castaways and establishing a permanent consul.