The use of military force – or at least the threat of military force – to force the opening of a sovereign nation that wanted to keep outsiders away is celebrated in today’s #stampoftheday. At least that’s one way to look at the stamp, a 3-cent stamp issued on July 14, 1953 commemorating the 100th anniversary of Commodore Matthew Perry’s “negotiations” with Japan that opened the nation to trade after more than 200 years of isolation. The stamp pictures Perry’s ships in Tokyo Bay with Mount Fuji in the background and Perry’s portrait in the upper-right corner.

I remember reading accounts that celebrated this expedition when I was younger. In the first half of the 19th century, Perry was one of the Navy’s leading captains. Perry saw the need for naval education, supporting an apprentice system to train new seamen, and helped establish the curriculum for the United States Naval Academy. He was a vocal proponent of modernizing the Navy. Once promoted to captain, he oversaw construction of the Navy’s second steam frigate USS Fulton, which he commanded after its completion. He organized America’s first corps of naval engineers, and conducted the first U.S. naval gunnery school (off Sandy Hook on the coast of New Jersey.). At one point he so impressed the Russians that he was offered a commission in the Imperial Russian Navy, which he declined.

In 1852, American President Millard Fillmore gave Perry a mission to force the opening of Japanese ports to American trade, through the use of gunboat diplomacy if necessary. The growing commerce between the United States and China, the presence of American whalers in waters offshore Japan (and Japan’s policy of imprisoning or executing shipwrecked sailors), and the increasing monopolization of potential coaling stations by the British and French in Asia were all contributing factors to this effort.

Perry and his fleet of four ships reached the Edo Bay in Japan on July 8, 1853. He ordered his ships to steam past Japanese lines towards the capital of Edo, and turn their guns towards the town of Uraga. He also ordered his ships to fired blank shots from his 73 cannons, which he claimed was in celebration of the American Independence Day. He also ordered his ship boats to commence survey operations of the coastline and surrounding waters over the objections of local officials. (Upon seeing Perry’s fleet sailing into their harbor, the Japanese supposedly called them the “black ships of evil mien (appearance).”)

The Japanese government was ill-equipped to deal with the threat largely because the shogun (the de facto ruler) was ill and senior officials could not agree on how best to respond. On July 11, a leading senior official deciding that simply accepting a letter from the Americans would not constitute a violation of Japanese sovereignty. Perry was asked to move his fleet slightly southwest to the beach at Kurihama (in modern-day Yokosuka), where he was allowed to land on July 14, 1853 and present letters from President Fillmore and from himself.

The letters Perry presented conveyed a mixture of emotions. President Fillmore wrote: “I? have?directed? Commodore?Perry? to? assure? your?imperial?majesty? that? I?entertain? the?kindest?feelings?towards?your?majesty’s?person?and?government,?and?that?I?have?no?other?object?in? sending? him? to? Japan? but? to? propose? to? your? imperial? majesty that? the? United? States? and?Japan?should?live?in?friendship?and?have?commercial?intercourse?with?each?other.”

Fillmore added: “The?Constitution?and?laws?of?the?United?States?forbid?all?interference?with?the?religious or?political?concerns?of?other?nations.?I?have?particularly?charged?Commodore?Perry?to?abstain from? every? act? which? could? possibly? disturb? the? tranquility? of? your? imperial? majesty’s?dominions.”

But, apparently with Fillmore’s acquiescence, Perry also conveyed a more bellicose message, writing: “For?years?several?countries?have?applied?for?trade,?but?you?have?opposed?them?on?account?of?a?national?law.?You have?thus?acted?against?divine?principles?and?your?sin?cannot?be?greater? than?it?is.?…If?you?are?still?to?disagree we?would?then? take?up? arms? and?inquire?into? the? sin? against? the?divine?principles,? and? you?wouldalso?make? sure? of? your?law? and? fight?in?defence.?When? one considers? such? an? occasion,? however,?one?will?realize?the?victory?will?naturally?be?ours?and?you?shall by?no?means?overcome?us.?If?in?such? a? situation? you? seek? for? a reconciliation,? you? should?put?up? the?white? flag? that?we?have?recently?presented?to?you,?and?we?would accordingly?stop?firing?and?conclude?peace?with?you,?turning?our?battleships?aside.”?

After presenting these letters, Perry departed for Hong Kong, promising to return the following year for the Japanese reply. He actually returned about six months later, this time with ten ships and 1600 men. By this time, the government leaders in Japan had decided to accept virtually all the demands in Fillmore’s letter. However, negotiators procrastinated for weeks over minor details, like the site for negotiations. Perry eventually lost his temper and threatened to bring 100 ships (more than the actual size of the US Navy at the time) within 20 days to war on Japan. Both sides eventually compromised on the tiny village of Yokohama, where a purpose-built hall was erected.

Perry landed on 8 March with 500 sailors and Marines in 27 ship’s boats, with three bands playing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” After three weeks of negotiations, on March 31, Perry and Japenese officials signed an agreement that opened two ports to American ships, provided for care of shipwrecked sailors, and called for the establishment of an American consulate. After the treaty was signed, the Americans presented the Japanese with a miniature steam locomotive, a telegraph apparatus, various agricultural tools, and small arms, as well as one hundred gallons of whiskey, clocks, stoves, and books about the United States. The Japanese responded with gold-lacquered furniture and boxes, bronze ornaments, porcelain goblets and upon learning of Perry’s personal hobby, a collection of seashells.

When Perry returned to the United States in 1855, he was hailed as a hero and Congress voted to grant him a reward of $20,000 (US $549,000 in 2020) in appreciation of his work. In Japan, the agreements helped lead to the collapse of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Restoration, which was led by people whose goal was to create a nation-state capable of standing equal among Western powers, in large measure by pushing forward with ambitious industrialization and concurrent adoption of western ideas and production methods.

Reflecting on all this, I’m not sure what to make of it. It seems clear that sooner or later Japan would be forced to open up. In many ways, the opening of Japan led to the decline of an oppressive feudal society.

But on the other hand, it does seem like the way the opening occurred was pretty bizarre, to say the least. Imagine, if you will, that a foreign government decided that it would brazenly and explicitly meddle with internal affairs in the United States with the goal of producing favorable changes in basic public policies towards that country. We wouldn’t sit still for such interference. Or would we?…

Be well, stay safe, fight for justice and work for peace.