Relations with the West

• Japan practiced “closed-door” policy why?

  • isolated geographically
  • feared foreign invasion and foreign culture, such as Christianity
  • afraid foreign culture would win the hearts of the people
• 1842 - opium war in China
• 1636 - act of seclusion, cut off Japan from Western nation for next 200 years

  excpet: small Dutch outpost in Nagasaki Harbour and maintain close relations with Korea and China
• Japan saw how British defeated Qing Dynasty and forced them to sign unequal treaties and open up ports for western Powers to share
• Japan realised backwardness in comparison to the technologically advanced Western powers
• Western powers attitude towards Japan

  • used force, think lowly of Japan, dismissive
  • opportunistic - look for opportunities to trade with Japan, take advantage of them
• Lord Abe’s attitude towards treaties offered by western powers

  • asked them to wait for a year due to starvation in Japan
  • Forced using violence and gunboat diplomacy in the end
• July, 1853 - 4 “Black Dragons” steamships arrived at Edo

  • led by Commodore Matthew Perry, demanded Japan to sign treaty
• 1. Open new treaty ports to foreigners
  2. Right of foreigners to dispatch a minister to Edo
  3. establishment of low tax at ports
  4. establishment of ambassador at all ports
  5. rights of foreigner to be tried by these ambassador rather than Japanese courts
• Satsuma and Choshu overthrow Tokugawa Shogunate due to his inability to protect Japan from Western threats