Convention of Kanagawa

Treaty of Kanagawa

Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity
Japanese copy of the Convention of Kanagawa, ratified February 21, 1855
Signed	31 March 1854 (1854-03-31)
Location	Yokohama, Japan
Sealed	March 31, 1854
Effective	September 30, 1855
Condition	Ratification by US Congress, signing by President Franklin Pierce and signing by Emperor Kōmei[1]
Signatories	Japan United States
Depositary	Diplomatic Record Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
Languages	English Japanese
Full text
Treaty of Kanagawa at Wikisource

The Convention of Kanagawa, also known as the Kanagawa Treaty (神奈川条約, Kanagawa Jōyaku) or the Japan–US Treaty of Peace and Amity (日米和親条約, Nichibei Washin Jōyaku), was a treaty signed between the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate on March 31, 1854. Signed under threat of force,^[2] it effectively meant the end of Japan's 220-year-old policy of national seclusion (sakoku) by opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American vessels.^[3] It also ensured the safety of American castaways and established the position of an American consul in Japan. The treaty precipitated the signing of similar treaties establishing diplomatic relations with other Western powers.