Timeline of Japan–United States relations

Japan and the United States have held formal international relations since the mid-19th century. The first encounter between the two countries to be recorded in official documents occurred in 1791 when the Lady Washington became the first American ship to visit Japan in an unsuccessful attempt to sell sea otter pelts. In the 1850s, Japanese ports were opened to American trade for the first time after the Perry Expedition, led by naval officer Commodore Matthew C. Perry, arrived in Japan with a fleet of four Black Ships. In July 1856, Townsend Harris became the first American diplomat to Japan, and in 1858, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, also known as the Harris Treaty, further expanded trade relations and established permanent consulates. The first Japanese Embassy to the United States set sail for San Francisco in 1860, marking diplomatic engagement between the two nations.

Japanese–American relations
Map indicating locations of Japan and USA

Japan

United States
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Japan, Washington, D.C.Embassy of the United States, Tokyo
Envoy
Japanese Ambassador to the United States
Shigeo Yamada
(since 24 October 2023)
United States Ambassador to Japan
Rahm Emanuel
(since 25 March 2022)

The early 20th century saw Japan and the United States become allies during World War I, and diplomatic interactions continued. However, tensions arose in the lead-up to World War II following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria, which ultimately resulted in Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the United States' entry into the war. Following Japan's surrender in 1945, the relationship shifted towards a post-war partnership. Japan was occupied until 1952 when the Treaty of San Francisco came into effect. Japan–United States relations continued to evolve throughout the Cold War and into the 21st century, with periods of cooperation and occasional trade disputes. The two nations maintain strong economic ties, and Japan is a crucial ally of the United States in Asia.

Pre-19th century

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Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate

19th century

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  • 1825: The shogunate issue the Edict to Repel Foreign Vessels, a law prohibiting contact with foreigners.[4]
  • June 12, 1836: Edmund Roberts, whom the American government has sent to become the United States' first envoy to Japan, dies in Portuguese Macau before he can reach the nation.[1]
  • 1837: Morrison, an American merchant ship headed by Charles W. King, is driven away from Japan by cannon fire. The event becomes known as the Morrison incident.[5]
  • January 1841: Fourteen-year-old fisherman Nakahama Manjirō and four of his friends are shipwrecked on Tori-shima in the Izu Islands. After being stranded there for six months, they are rescued by the American whaling ship John Howland, captained by William H. Whitfield. Whitfield takes the five castaways to Honolulu, Hawaii.[3]
  • 1843: While his companions remain in Honolulu, Manjirō travels on the John Howland to New Bedford, Massachusetts and becomes the first Japanese person to land on the mainland United States.[3]
  • July 20, 1846: James Biddle anchors two US Navy warships, the USS Columbus and the USS Vincennes, in Uraga Channel at the mouth to Edo Bay in another unsuccessful attempt to open up trade with Japan.[6]
  • July 1, 1848: Ranald MacDonald of Oregon Country comes ashore on Rishiri Island and pretends that he has been shipwrecked. He stays in Japan for ten months and becomes the first native English speaker to teach the English language in the nation.[5]
  • April 1849: MacDonald returns to the United States on board the American warship USS Preble.
  • September 9, 1850: California is admitted as the 31st state to join the union.[5]
  • February 2, 1851: Manjirō and two of his fellow travelling companions return to Japan.[5]
 
An 1854 Japanese print depicting the Perry Expedition
  • 1853:
    • March 4: Franklin Pierce is inaugurated as the 14th president of the United States.[7]
    • July 8: The Perry Expedition, led by naval officer Commodore Matthew C. Perry, arrives in Japan with a fleet of four Black Ships. Perry demands the opening of Japanese ports to American trade and presents a letter from President Millard Fillmore to Japan's emperor, Osahito, urging him to establish commercial and diplomatic relations with the United States.[5][8]
  • 1854:
    • February 14: Perry returns to Kanagawa with a fleet of eight warships.[9]
    • March 31: The Convention of Kanagawa, the first treaty between the United States and Japan, is signed by Perry and the Tokugawa shogunate. The treaty opens up two Japanese ports, Shimoda and Hakodate, for trade to American ships.[8]
  • 1856:
    • July: Pierce names Townsend Harris as the first American diplomat to serve as Consul General to Japan.[10]
    • August 21: Harris opens a temporary consulate general in the Gyokusen-ji temple in Kakizaki, Shimoda.
  • March 4, 1857: James Buchanan is inaugurated as the 15th president of the United States.[8]
  • 1858:
    • June 6: In Baltimore, Joseph Heco (born Hikozō Hamada) becomes the first Japanese subject to become an American citizen.[9]
    • July 29: On the deck of the USS Powhatan in Edo, Japan and the United States sign the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, also known as the Harris Treaty, opening up the ports of Kanagawa and four other Japanese cities to American trade and allowing the establishment of permanent consulates.
  • 1859:
 
The first Japanese Embassy to the United States was led by Ambassador Muragaki Norimasa, Vice-Ambassador Shinmi Masaoki, and Observer Oguri Tadamasa (pictured).
 
The cowboy, the quintessential symbol of the Old West[13]
 
The defeat at the Battle of Shiroyama in 1877 effectively ended the samurai class.

20th century

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Atomic bomb mushroom clouds over Hiroshima (left) and Nagasaki (right)

21st century

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The World Trade Center following the September 11 attacks

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c van Sant, Mauch & Sugita 2007, p. xv.
  2. ^ "Lady Washington History". Grays Harbor: Historical Seaport. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "First Encounters Between the U.S. and Japan – John Kendrick and John Manjiro". New York City: Consulate General of Japan in New York. 2021. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  4. ^ Iokibe & Minohara 2017, p. 263.
  5. ^ a b c d e van Sant, Mauch & Sugita 2007, p. xvi.
  6. ^ Anon. (c. 1846). Japanese Manuscript Account with Watercolour on Foreign Ship in Japan Seeking Trade Seven Years Before Commodore Perry. West Vancouver: Voyager Press Rare Books and Manuscripts. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  7. ^ Iokibe & Minohara 2017, p. 264.
  8. ^ a b c Iokibe & Minohara 2017, p. 265.
  9. ^ a b c d van Sant, Mauch & Sugita 2007, p. xvii.
  10. ^ "Story of Townsend Harris". New York City: Consulate General of Japan in New York. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  11. ^ Harding, Christopher (February 22, 2023). "When the Samurai came to America". London: Engelsberg Ideas. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g van Sant, Mauch & Sugita 2007, p. xviii.
  13. ^ a b c "Wanted Dead or Alive". Los Angeles: Jacques Marie Mage. October 28, 2022. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e Iokibe & Minohara 2017, p. 266.
  15. ^ Saito Cleary, Nobuko (2019). "Nobuko Saito Cleary Celebrates 150th Anniversary of First Japanese Immigrants". Washington, D.C.: U.S.-Japan Council. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h van Sant, Mauch & Sugita 2007, p. xix.
  17. ^ "Japan—1871 Treaty of Amity and Commerce". Hawaii: Kingdom of Hawaii. February 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  18. ^ "Meiji Period". Encyclopedia of Japan. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Iokibe & Minohara 2017, p. 267.
  20. ^ "1876 – The Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition Is America's First Major Exposure to Japanese Art and Design". Chicago: Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. 2023. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  21. ^ a b van Sant, Mauch & Sugita 2007, p. xxii.
  22. ^ van Sant, Mauch & Sugita 2007, p. xxiii.
  23. ^ US, EU. "Historical Background of Export Control Development in Selected Countries and Regions". Archived January 17, 2023, at the Wayback Machine p. 6 (2016).
  24. ^ Morton 1990, p. 103.
  25. ^ "The Path to Pearl Harbour". New Orleans: The National WWII Museum. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  26. ^ Conrad, Sebastian (2014). "The Dialectics of Remembrance: Memories of Empire in Cold War Japan" (PDF). Comparative Studies in Society and History. 56 (1): 8. doi:10.1017/S0010417513000601. ISSN 0010-4175. JSTOR 43908281. S2CID 146284542. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2023. In 1942, at the moment of its greatest extension, the empire encompassed territories spanning over 7,400,000 square kilometers.
  27. ^ a b c d "Japan profile – Timeline". London: BBC News. April 26, 2019. Archived from the original on July 25, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  28. ^ "Reaction From Around the World". New York Times. New York City. September 12, 2001. Archived from the original on November 11, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  29. ^ Jonathan, Watts (July 26, 2003). "End of an era as Japan enters Iraq". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  30. ^ "Japan extends troops in Iraq for a year". Washington, D.C.: NBC News. December 9, 2004. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  31. ^ Zhang, Jane (February 22, 2006). "Japan Revives Imports of Fresh U.S. Potatoes". The Wall Street Journal. New York City: News Corp. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  32. ^ Khan, Huma (March 11, 2011). "Obama Offers Condolences to Japanese in Wake of Earthquake, Tsunami". New York City: ABC News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2023.

References

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