Question

Was it proper for a western power, the United States, to “open” Japan based off of the policy of exclusion (isolationism) in the 18th and 19th centuries?

Answer 1

In the 19th century, after a long period of isolationism, Japan came under pressure from the West to open to foreign trade & relations. The Industrial Revolution in Europe & the United States had created a wide gap between them and the West, leaving the two Asian nations behind technologically and military. In that period, Japan had the power to stand up to the Western nations, & eventually both had to sign unequal treaties that forced them to open their ports and cities to foreign merchants.

Japan yielded to western pressure to open trade & sucessfully modernized .  Japan’s familiarity with borrowing culturally from others, the rise of its reformist elite, & its pluralistic political system.

An important factor causing this difference of reactions to Western pressure between Japan and China was historical timing. Western nations didn’t force Japan to end its isolationism until the 1850s, more than a decade after the beginning of the First Opium War in China. This was because they were already engaged in other parts of Asia, which created a “buffer” & because its lack of resources & demand for Western goods lessened Japan’s attractiveness to the West inspite its isolation, Japan was kept informed of what was happening abroad during the Opium War, and “the Dutch had repeatedly warned them through Nagasaki that they would have to go accede to foreign demands” Thus Japan was able to see first-hand the results of China’s defiance of Western demands, before it was its turn to respond to them

Japan's isolation policy was fully implemented by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Ievasu and shogun from 1623 to 1641. He issued edicts that essentially closedJapan to all foreigners and prevented Japanese from leaving.

Many policies were drafted : Some of them are listed below.

Japanese ships are strictly forbidden to leave for foreign countries.
2. No Japanese is permitted to go abroad. If there is anyone who attempts to do so secretly, he must be executed. The ship so involved must be impounded and its owner arrested, and the matter must be reported to the higher authority.
3. If any Japanese returns from overseas after residing there, he must be put to death.
4. If there is any place where the teachings of the priests is practiced, the two of you must order a thorough investigation.
5. Any informer revealing the whereabouts of the followers of the priests must be rewarded accordingly. If anyone reveals the whereabouts of a high ranking priest, he must be given one hundred pieces of-silver. For those of lower ranks, depending on the deed, the reward must be set accordingly.
6. If a foreign ship has an objection & it becomes necessary to report the matter to you may ask the Omura domain to provide ships to guard the foreign ship. . . .
7. If there are any Southern Barbarians who propagate the teachings of the priests, or otherwise commit crimes, they may be incarcerated in the prison. . . .
8. All incoming ships must be carefully searched for the followers of the priests.

9. No single trading city shall be permitted to purchase all the merchandise brought by foreign ships.
10. Samurai are not permitted to purchase any goods originating from foreign ships directly from Chinese merchants in Nagasaki.
11. After a list of merchandise brought by foreign ships is sent to Edo, as before you may order that commercial dealings may take place without waiting for a reply from Edo.
12. After settling the price, all white yarns brought by foreign ships shall be allocated to the five trading cities and other quarters as stipulated.

13. The date of departure homeward of foreign ships shall not be later than the twentieth day of the ninth month. Any ships arriving in Japan later than usual shall depart within fifty days of their arrival. As to the departure of Chinese ships, you may use your discretion to order their departure after the departure of the Portuguese galeota.

15. The goods brought by foreign ships which remained unsold may not be deposited or accepted for deposit.
16. The arrival in Nagasaki of representatives of the five trading cities shall not be later than the fifth day of the seventh month. Anyone arriving later than that date shall lose the quota assigned to his city.
17. Ships arriving in Hirado must sell their raw silk at the price set in Nagasaki, and are not permitted to engage in business transactions until after the price is established in Nagasaki.