[kunitokotachi]

There are numerous posts on this thread that seem to show remaining hostility against Japan for the attack on Pearl Harbor. Some individuals also appear to believe that the U.S. had done nothing to Japan prior to WWII and the attack on Pearl Harbor. I've encounter other Americans who know nothing about America's voyage to force trade relations and regulations on Japan. In 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry made his first attempt to demand that Japan open its ports but Japan refused. It was the Tokugawa Shogunate's policy to keep Japan isolated and free from foreign influence during that period. Commodore Matthew Perry returned to Japan in 1854 with a small fleet of warships equipped with advanced weaponry and technology. This time the Commodore would threaten the Japanese with military force; destroying as many Japanese as he could if he had to. What adds to the arrogance of Commodore was the fact that he had three of his naval bands play the "Star Spangled Banner." In the end, Japan had no choice but to sign the "Treaty of Kanagana." Commodore Matthew Perry's encounter with the Japanese would lead to other consequences because Great Britain and other nations would follow suit and force treaties on Japan. As one can see, our American government had stepped all over Japan's sovereignty.