On a midsummer day in 1853, American naval officer Matthew Calbraith Perry led a squadron of sailing sloops and steam-powered warships into Edo Bay , now Tokyo Bay . A tough, battle-seasoned commander, Perry was initially unenthusiastic about the expedition, and his four-vessel fleet was smaller than planned. But Old Matt's shrewd display of naval prowess achieved its goal, helping to shatter more than two centuries of Japanese self-isolation. Less than a year later, on March 31, 1854, a Treaty of Peace and Amity was signed in the port city of Yokohama . Perry's "Black Ships" continue to sail on to the present, a metaphor for Japan 's relations with the outside world.

Leaders from a wide field of human endeavor on both sides of the Pacific will gather to celebrate this remarkable alliance and friendship, which has endured for a century and a half. Returning to the site of the original treaty, the US-Japan 150 Years Committee will sponsor a US-Japan 150-Year Anniversary Ceremony and an International Symposium for a Better US-Japan Relationship in the 21st Century, in spring, 2004. Other events commemorating US-Japan ties will be held across the country throughout 2004.