the Arctic 1854: Opening of Japan
31 March 1854
31 Mar 1854
Partitioning the North Pacific
1620–1818 Fur-Trading Empires
1818–1875 Partitioning the North Pacific
1875–1939 Claiming the Far North
1939–1945 World War II in the Arctic
1945–pres The Arctic Transformed
Opening of Japan
20 Oct 1818 Treaty of 1818
28 Feb 1825 Anglo-Russian Convention
23 Nov 1837 Canadian Rebellions
15 Jun 1846 Oregon Treaty
21 Oct 1850 Search for Franklin
31 Mar 1854 Opening of Japan
2 Sep 1855 Crimean War in the Arctic
13 Aug 1859 Amur Acquisition
19 Jul 1862 Gold Rushes in the Pacific Northwest
30 Mar 1867 Alaska Purchase
27 Jan 1869 Boshin War
15 Jul 1870 Rupert's Land Act
7 May 1875 Treaty of Saint Petersburg
Across the Pacific, Japan had kept itself closed off from the world since the 17th century, restricting its contact with the West to a Dutch trading post off Nagasaki. Determined to change this stance, the United States sent a naval expedition under Commodore Matthew Perry to negotiate a treaty in 1852. Unable to counter Perry's modern steam-powered warships, the Japanese backed down and ended their era of isolation.