Which US captain opened Japan to outside trade?

Which US captain opened Japan to outside trade?

• A. Captain James Cook
• B. Admiral George Dewey
• C. Commodore Matthew Perry
• D. Captain John Smith

Answer: (C)

Opening Japan to outside trade happened when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Tokyo Bay in the 1850s with modern steam-powered ships and the threat of force, signaling that the United States was ready to trade. His show of naval power helped pressure Japan to negotiate, leading to the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, which opened two Japanese ports to American vessels and began the end of Japan’s long period of isolation. This event set off rapid modernization in Japan as it faced new economic and political pressures from Western nations. The other figures—James Cook explored and charted the Pacific but did not open Japan to trade; George Dewey is known for defeating Spain in 1898 at Manila Bay; John Smith was an early English colonist in North America and not involved in Japan. The captain who opened Japan to outside trade is Matthew Perry.

Opening Japan to outside trade happened when Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Tokyo Bay in the 1850s with modern steam-powered ships and the threat of force, signaling that the United States was ready to trade. His show of naval power helped pressure Japan to negotiate, leading to the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, which opened two Japanese ports to American vessels and began the end of Japan’s long period of isolation. This event set off rapid modernization in Japan as it faced new economic and political pressures from Western nations. The other figures—James Cook explored and charted the Pacific but did not open Japan to trade; George Dewey is known for defeating Spain in 1898 at Manila Bay; John Smith was an early English colonist in North America and not involved in Japan. The captain who opened Japan to outside trade is Matthew Perry.