From the 1600s on, the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan kept the borders tightly closed. The US decided that they should gain this rich market in the mid 1800s. They sent in Commodore Perry to force this.
Up until this point, only the Dutch were allowed to land in Japan. They could land just one ship in Nagasaki each year to do minimal trading. The US, trying to build after the destruction of the Civil War, wanted this new market for its products. They also wanted a refueling point for their seafaring ships and whalers.
Commodore Perry led a show of force, blocking the bay of Tokyo on July 8,1853 with four steamships. The huge size of these ships and the guns aboard them terrified the Japanese, who had not developed in any meaningful military way since the final battles of the 1600s.
The Japanese government had little chance of standing up to the US military power. They agreed, despite popular anger at the pressure of the "outsiders", because they had little choice. They allowed US ships to land in Shimoda and Hakodate.
While Commander Perry insisted in speaking with the Emperor, this was completely against Japanese protocol and he instead spoke with ministers. The final documents were signed on March 31, 1854 at the Convention of Kanagawa.
Once this treaty was signed, the Russians and British pushed in with treaties of their own. The resulting unrest in Japan about all of these foreign changes brought about the civil wars that allowed the Meiji Emperor to truly gain control of Japan.
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