Commodore Matthew Perry was an American naval officer who commanded the East India Squadron in the 1850s. In 1853, he led a fleet of four ships to Japan with the goal of forcing the country to open to foreign trade. Perry arrived in Tokyo Bay with a massive show of military force, and the Japanese were ultimately intimidated into signing the Treaty of Kanagawa. This treaty gave the United States the right to trade with Japan and opened the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to foreign ships. The treaty also provided for the establishment of an American consulate in Japan.
