I think this article lays out pretty well some ways the Japanese market can affect the United States
http://www.benzinga.com/markets/bonds/13/06/3665166/bank-of-japan-torches-global-markets-sparks-global-sell-off
the best time to beat the algos is the first hour of trading because they have to figure out what is going on in the market
Jea Yu of marketfy is great at scapling this time period