How Did Ww2 Affect The Relationship Between Japan And America

After World War II (WWII), people said that Japan had an “economic miracle,” and while that may be true, there was an even greater miracle one hundred years before that would set a course for Japan to grow into the global powerhouse it is today. In 1853 Japan was an isolated country, a formerly technologically advanced nation that fell behind. On the other side of the world was a young nation looking to expand trade and become rich: the United States of America. They recognized the amount of potential that existed in the land of the rising sun. Consequently, as Pinkert and Potter, two directors of educational outreach at the Library of Congress, state “.the United States wanted Japan to provide a haven for U.S. sailors from whaling fleets who

Additionally, we can see how this furthermore affects Japan when Kathleen Ran again states “Taking the Treaty of Kanagawa as forceful encouragement, other nations began to establish relations with Japan as well which further opened up the country” (Ran). The treaty not only affected the relationship between Japan and America, but once other nations started to realize the potential for Japanese trade, they also created treaties. This series of events created a whole new world for Japan, going from one where foreign trade was nonexistent to crucial. On the other hand, it's important to look at what exactly came from the actual terms of the treaty, what did America gain? And what did Japan lose? Vice versa. According to the US Department of State Archive it states, “‘According to the terms of the treaty, Japan would protect stranded seamen and open two ports for refueling and provisioning American ships: Shimoda and Hakodate. Japan also gave the United States the right to appoint consuls to live in these port cities, a privilege not previously granted to foreign nations” (US Department of State

The effects of the treaties proved beneficial, as Japan skyrocketed its power in Asia. Japan utilized its new opportunities to rise the ranks and create powerful alliances. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa, the country underwent constant changes, as its waves of influence began to grow. The Treaty of Kanagawa, while initially addressing immediate concerns, ultimately paved the way for profound and lasting transformations in international relations, trade dynamics, and Japan's trajectory as a global power. Continuing on the track of change, the treaty caused one of the greatest changes in Japanese as evident by this quote, “This treaty put in motion a series of events which led to a civil war (the Boshin War) and the overthrow of Japan's military rulers, the Tokugawa shogunate” (“Japan”). The treaty led to an extremely pivotal period in Japanese history: the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate. When the Tokugawa shogunate was in rule the country was isolated and refused to modernize, the end of this era led to a new one, The Meiji Restoration