For two centuries Japanese ports were closed to all but a few Dutch and Chinese traders. But on July 8, 1853, four "black ships" of the US Navy anchored in Edo (Tokyo) Bay, effectively forcing open the doors of trade.

Now Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is ready to jump into the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks despite the fact that many in Japan regard the trade pact as a new black ship.

Abe's decision to join in the talks, announced on March 15, is a move championed by industrial heavyweights such as Toyota, Toshiba and Mitsubishi, but fiercely opposed by Japan's agricultural and fishery sectors, which fear that the TPP will effectively eliminate their competitive advantage at home.