Shogun Ieyoshi died soon after the fleet of Commodore Matthew Perry came to Japan in 1853, and Ieyoshi's successor Iesada TOKUGAWA (the 13th Shogun) was sickly, so Abe led Ansei Reforms in the midst of political confusion that resulted from conclusion of Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States of America and the Empire of Japan in the next year.
嘉永6年（1853年）にマシュー・ペリー艦隊が来航した直後、将軍家慶が死去し、病弱な13代徳川家定が後を嗣ぎ、翌年の日米和親条約締結に伴う政治的混乱の中で、阿部主導による安政の改革が行われた。