After the death of Abe, Masayoshi HOTTA, who assumed the position of the head of roju, thought the conclusion of the treaty would be inevitable due to pressure from Harris and the surrounding situation in which the Qing dynasty was defeated in the second Opium war, and started work in Kyoto, through Naohisa KUJO, Kanpaku (chief adviser to the Emperor), to get imperial permission from the Emperor Komei.
阿部死後、老中首座となった堀田正睦は、ハリスの圧力や第二次アヘン戦争における清の敗北などの情勢から通商条約締結は不可避と考え、孝明天皇の勅許を求めるべく、京都において関白九条尚忠を通じて工作をおこなわせた。