170714-N-RX668-155 NEWPORT, R.I. (July 14, 2017) Rokuichiro Michii, Consul General of Japan, gives remarks during the 34th Annual Black Ships Festival in Newport, R.I. Presented by the Japan-America Society of Rhode Island, the festival is an educational and entertaining cultural exchange that honors Commodore Matthew C. Perry and the establishment of friendly trade relations between the United States and Japan in 1854. Perry, a Newport native, negotiated the treaty and brought the two countries together as trading partners for the first time in history. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jess Lewis/Released)