British Ambassador to Japan, 1715

simple enough question. as part of my latest rewrite of parts of my ASB ATL (i'm hoping this will be the last one, at least for a while) i decided that Britain becomes one of the first European countries to formally open diplomatic relations with Japan, starting in 1715 with the fictional Gallagher Sutton (an expy of Lemuel Gulliver). that aside, what does everyone think would be the long-term effects, repercussions, and consequences of Britain opening diplomatic relations with Japan nearly one-and-a-half centuries before they did IOTL?
 
simple enough question. as part of my latest rewrite of parts of my ASB ATL (i'm hoping this will be the last one, at least for a while) i decided that Britain becomes one of the first European countries to formally open diplomatic relations with Japan, starting in 1715 with the fictional Gallagher Sutton (an expy of Lemuel Gulliver). that aside, what does everyone think would be the long-term effects, repercussions, and consequences of Britain opening diplomatic relations with Japan nearly one-and-a-half centuries before they did IOTL?

Well it would be completely impossible. The only reason the US succeeded was because of the vast gulf that existed between the two nations technologically and the fact that they were willing to devote enough resources to forcefully open the country. Britain had little in the way of ships in the far east in the early 1700s and even less in massive tech advances. So I can't see WHY the Shogunate would willingly abandon a successful policy of limited contact with the outside with a real threat.
 

PhilippeO

Banned
It is possible that British at least gain the same right as VOC/Dutch. ambassador allowed at Dejima and very limited trade.
 
It is possible that British at least gain the same right as VOC/Dutch. ambassador allowed at Dejima and very limited trade.

Now THAT's more likely. Perhaps the East India company could somehow muscle in on the Dutch trade, making a deal with the local Daimyo in Kyushu and from there a trade agreement with the Shogunate. Not unreasonable.
 
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