Commodore Perry was sent to Japan by President Millard Fillmore with a letter demanding that Japan open its ports to American trade and allow American ships to refuel and take on supplies. Perry's fleet of ships, which included the steam-powered warship USS Mississippi, was a show of force that impressed the Japanese and convinced them that they could not resist the demands of the United States.
As a result of Perry's visit, Japan signed the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1854, which opened the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American ships. This treaty was followed by a series of other treaties with other Western powers, which further opened up Japan to foreign trade and influence.
The opening of Japan to the outside world had a profound impact on the country. It led to the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate and established a new government that was committed to modernizing Japan. The Meiji Restoration also led to a period of rapid social, economic, and cultural change in Japan, which transformed the country into a modern industrial power.