Treaty of Shimoda

Treaty of Shimoda
Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Russia
Japanese copy of the Treaty of Shimoda, February 7, 1855
SignedFebruary 7, 1855 (1855-02-07)
LocationShimoda, Shizuoka, Japan
EffectiveAugust 7, 1856
Signatories
DepositaryDiplomatic Record Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
Languages
  • Chinese
  • Japanese
  • Dutch

The Treaty of Shimoda (下田条約, Shimoda Jouyaku) (formally Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Japan and Russia 日露和親条約, Nichi-Ro Washin Jouyaku) of February 7, 1855, was the first treaty between the Russian Empire, and the Empire of Japan, then under the administration of the Tokugawa shogunate. Following shortly after the Convention of Kanagawa signed between Japan and the United States, it effectively meant the end of Japan's 220-year-old policy of national seclusion (sakoku), by opening the ports of Nagasaki, Shimoda and Hakodate to Russian vessels. The treaty also established the position of Russian consuls in Japan and defined the borders between Japan and Russia.