Upon entering a state of isolation named “Sakoku” in 1639, the Japanese Government eliminated communication with the rest of the world for over 200 years in order to abolish the influence of other countries and religions. Finally, the end of Sakoku came in 1853 when Commodore Matthew Perry led an expedition to Japan in an attempt to open them to trade, this expedition was challenging and had even failed once, but Japan later agreed to the demands of the U.S., by signing the treaty of Kanagawa. Despite the opposition of these edicts by many Japanese, this event eventually proved to make Japan the more stable, modern, and independent country it is today.
Mathew Perry Ship, Twitter, no date