| On This Day in American History |
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On July 8, 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry leads a squadron of U.S. Navy ships into Tokyo Bay, which led to an end to centuries of Japan’s near isolation. Perry would return to Japan a year later and officially sign the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened ports and allowed for diplomatic missions. Relations with the U.S. had a domino effect, and soon, many other countries signed treaties with Japan, eventually leading to the fall of the shogunate and rapid modernization. |
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