ABSTRACT
From 1600-1868 Japan was governed by the third dynasty of sho¯guns, the Tokugawa family. Perhaps most significant here is that as a result of the threat of destabilization by Western missionaries the sho¯gunate (government) expelled or killed most of the foreigners and then sealed off the nation to virtually any transit in or out. Also significant is that the Japanese then developed their own unique types of social and business practices – the legacy of which remains evident in business today. The prohibition on entry to Japan was broken with the arrival of the American ‘black ships’ under Commander Matthew Perry in 1853. Perry, in a style that would become popular in America-Japan relations over the following century, delivered an ultimatum: he would give the Japanese one year to reconsider their no-trade policy; if they refused, America would use force to pry the country open. At gunpoint, the Japanese agreed to grant access to the foreigners, a situation that at the same time signified the end of sho¯gunal rule.
