who opened japan to trade with the treaty of kanagawa
Convention of Kanagawa The final article, Article Twelve, stipulated that the terms of the treaty were to be ratified by the President of the United States and the "August Sovereign of Japan" within 18 months. At the time, shōgun Tokugawa Iesada was the de facto ruler of Japan; for the Emperor to interact in any way with foreigners was out of the question. Perry concluded the treaty with representatives of the shogun, led by plenipotentiary Hayashi Akira (林韑) and the text was endorsed subsequently, albeit reluctantly, by Emperor Kōmei.[10] The treaty was ratified on 21 February 1855.[11]