foreign relations of Japan
{{Short description|none}} {{External links|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Politics of Japan}}
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|+ style="background:#f99;" colspan="2"|Results of 2017 BBC World Service poll{{cite web |url=https://www.globescan.com/images/images/pressreleases/bbc2017_country_ratings/BBC2017_Country_Ratings_Poll.pdf |title=2017 BBC World Service poll|archive-date=30 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730112140/http://www.globescan.com/images/images/pressreleases/bbc2017_country_ratings/BBC2017_Country_Ratings_Poll.pdf |page=20 }} !Country polled !! Positive !! Negative !! Neutral !! Pos − Neg | ||||
| {{flagcountry|People's Republic of China}} | {{Percentage bar|22|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|75|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 3 | -53 |
| {{flagcountry|Spain}} | {{Percentage bar|39|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|36|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 25 | 3 |
| {{flagcountry|Turkey}} | {{Percentage bar|50|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|32|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 18 | 18 |
| {{flagcountry|Pakistan}} | {{Percentage bar|38|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|20|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 42 | 18 |
| {{flagcountry|India}} | {{Percentage bar|45|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|17|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 38 | 28 |
| {{flagcountry|Russia}} | {{Percentage bar|45|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|16|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 39 | 29 |
| {{flagcountry|Peru}} | {{Percentage bar|56|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|25|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 19 | 31 |
| {{flagcountry|Nigeria}} | {{Percentage bar|57|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|24|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 19 | 33 |
| {{flagcountry|UK}} | {{Percentage bar|65|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|30|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 5 | 35 |
| {{flagcountry|Mexico}} | {{Percentage bar|59|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|23|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 18 | 36 |
| {{flagcountry|Kenya}} | {{Percentage bar|58|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|22|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 20 | 36 |
| {{flagcountry|Germany}} | {{Percentage bar|50|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|13|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 37 | 37 |
| {{flagcountry|Indonesia}} | {{Percentage bar|57|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|17|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 26 | 40 |
| {{flagcountry|United States}} | {{Percentage bar|65|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|23|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 12 | 42 |
| {{flagcountry|France}} | {{Percentage bar|74|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|21|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 5 | 53 |
| {{flagcountry|Brazil}} | {{Percentage bar|70|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|15|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 15 | 55 |
| {{flagcountry|Australia}} | {{Percentage bar|78|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|17|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 5 | 61 |
| {{flagcountry|Canada}} | {{Percentage bar|77|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|12|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 11 | 65 |
The {{nihongo|foreign relations of Japan|日本の国際関係|Nihon no kokusai kankei}} are handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Japan maintains diplomatic relations with every United Nations member state except for North Korea, in addition to UN observer states Holy See, as well as Kosovo, Cook Islands and Niue.
Japanese foreign relations had earliest beginnings in the 14th century and after their opening to the world in 1854 with the Convention of Kanagawa. Japan rapidly modernized and built a strong military. It was imperialistic seeking control of nearby areas—with major wars against China and Russia. It gained control of parts of China and Manchuria, as well as Korea and islands such as Taiwan and Okinawa. It lost in World War II and was stripped of all of its foreign conquests and possessions. See History of Japanese foreign relations. American general Douglas MacArthur, acting for the Allied powers, supervised occupied Japan 1945–51. Since occupation ended diplomatic policy has been based on close partnership with the United States and seeking trade agreements, In the Cold War, Japan was demilitarized but it allied with the U.S. in the confrontation with the Soviet Union. It played a major support role in the Korean War (1950–1953). In the rapid economic developments in the 1960s and 1970s, Japan was one of the major economic powers in the world.
By the 1990s Japan participated in the Peacekeeping operations by the UN, and sent troops to Cambodia, Mozambique, Golan Heights and the East Timor.[http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/pko/index.html 国連平和維持活動（PKO）] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070818034219/http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/gaiko/pko/index.html |date=18 August 2007 }}, Ministry of Foreign Affairs After the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, Japanese naval vessels have been assigned to resupply duties in the Indian Ocean to the present date. The Ground Self-Defense Force also dispatched their troops to Southern Iraq for the restoration of basic infrastructures.
Foreign policy
{{Main|Foreign policy of Japan}}
Beyond its immediate neighbors, Japan has pursued a more active foreign policy in recent years, recognizing the responsibility which accompanies its economic strength.{{citation-attribution|1={{Cite web|date=September 2001|title=Background Note: Japan|url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4142.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020606040246/http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/4142.htm|archive-date=6 June 2002|publisher=U.S. State Department}} }} Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda stressed a changing direction in a policy speech to the National Diet: "Japan aspires to become a hub of human resource development as well as for research and intellectual contribution to further promote cooperation in the field of peace-building."Komura, Masahiko. [http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/un/pko/symposium0803-s.html "Building Peacebuilders for the Future,"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505150457/http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/un/pko/symposium0803-s.html |date=5 May 2013 }} Tokyo Peacebuilders Symposium 2008. 24 March 2008. This follows the modest success of a Japanese-conceived peace plan which became the foundation for nationwide elections in Cambodia in 1998.
History
{{Main|History of Japanese foreign relations}}
=Links=
- Foreign relations of Meiji Japan
- International relations of the Great Powers (1814–1919)
- Diplomatic history of World War I
- International relations (1919–1939)
- Causes of World War II
- Diplomatic history of World War II
- Cold War
- History of Sino-Japanese relations, China
- France–Japan relations
- Germany–Japan relations
- Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, 1930–1945
- History of Japan–Korea relations
- Japan–North Korea relations
- Japan–South Korea relations
- Japanese foreign policy on Southeast Asia
- Japan–Russia relations
- Japan–Soviet Union relations
- Japan–United Kingdom relations
- Japan–United States relations
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Japan maintains diplomatic relations with:
Bilateral relations
= Africa =
Japan is increasingly active in Africa. In May 2008, the first Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize will be awarded at Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD IV),{{cite web|url=http://www.cao.go.jp/noguchisho/english/index.html|title=Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize|access-date=21 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110041854/http://www.cao.go.jp/noguchisho/english/index.html|archive-date=10 January 2018}} which signals a changing emphasis in bilateral relations.
= Americas =
{{main|Japan–Latin America relations}}
Japan has continued to extend significant support to development and technical assistance projects in Latin America.{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/data/06ap_la01.html|title=外務省: ご案内- ご利用のページが見つかりません|access-date=21 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221181114/http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/oda/data/06ap_la01.html|archive-date=21 February 2015}}
= Asia =
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|+ style="background:#f99;" colspan="2"|Results of 2013 Pew Research Center poll{{Cite web|url=http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/07/11/japanese-publics-mood-rebounding-abe-strongly-popular/ |title=Japanese Public's Mood Rebounding, Abe Highly Popular |format= |publisher=Pew Research Center |date=11 July 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130714131851/http://www.pewglobal.org/2013/07/11/japanese-publics-mood-rebounding-abe-strongly-popular/ |archivedate=14 July 2013 |accessdate= |language=}} !Country polled !! Positive !! Negative !! Neutral !! Pos − Neg | ||||
| {{flagcountry|People's Republic of China}} | {{Percentage bar|4|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|90|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 6 | -86 |
| {{flagcountry|South Korea}} | {{Percentage bar|22|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|77|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 1 | -55 |
| {{flagcountry|Pakistan}} | {{Percentage bar|51|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|7|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 42 | 44 |
| {{flagcountry|Philippines}} | {{Percentage bar|78|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|18|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 4 | 60 |
| {{flagcountry|Australia}} | {{Percentage bar|78|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|16|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 6 | 62 |
| {{flagcountry|Indonesia}} | {{Percentage bar|79|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|12|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 9 | 67 |
| {{flagcountry|Malaysia}} | {{Percentage bar|80|c=#80FF80|width=50}} | {{Percentage bar|6|c=#FF8080|width=50}} | 14 | 74 |
== Southeast Asia ==
File:Embassy of Indonesia, in Tokyo 2024.jpg
By 1990 Japan's interaction with the vast majority of Asia-Pacific countries, especially its burgeoning economic exchanges, was multifaceted and increasingly important to the recipient countries.{{citation-attribution|1={{cite encyclopedia|title=Japan: a country study|publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/91029874/|date=1992|editor-last=Dolan|editor-first=Ronald E.|edition=5th|pages=288, 407–410, 414|isbn=0-8444-0731-3|oclc=24247433|access-date=29 September 2021|archive-date=29 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729190534/https://www.loc.gov/item/91029874/|url-status=live}}|editor-last2=Worden|editor-first2=Robert L.}} The developing countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regarded Japan as critical to their development. Japan's aid to the ASEAN countries totaled US$1.9 billion in Japanese fiscal year (FY) 1988 versus about US$333 million for the United States during U.S. FY 1988. As of the late 1980s, Japan was the number one foreign investor in the ASEAN countries, with cumulative investment as of March 1989 of about US$14.5 billion, more than twice that of the United States.{{Update inline|date=September 2021}} Japan's share of total foreign investment in ASEAN countries in the same period ranged from 70 to 80 percent in Thailand to 20 percent in Indonesia.
In the late 1980s, the Japanese government was making a concerted effort to enhance its diplomatic stature, especially in Asia. Toshiki Kaifu's much publicized spring 1991 tour of five Southeast Asian nations—Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines—culminated in a 3 May major foreign policy address in Singapore, in which he called for a new partnership with the ASEAN and pledged that Japan would go beyond the purely economic sphere to seek an "appropriate role in the political sphere as a nation of peace." As evidence of this new role, Japan took an active part in promoting negotiations to resolve the Cambodian conflict.
In 1997, the ASEAN member nations and the People's Republic of China, South Korea and Japan agreed to hold yearly talks to further strengthen regional cooperation, the ASEAN Plus Three meetings. In 2005 the ASEAN plus Three countries together with India, Australia and New Zealand held the inaugural East Asia Summit (EAS).
== South Asia ==
In South Asia, Japan's role is mainly that of an aid donor. Japan's aid to seven South Asian countries totaled US$1.1 billion in 1988.{{Update inline|date=September 2021}} Except for Pakistan, which received heavy inputs of aid from the United States, all other South Asian countries received most of their aid from Japan as of the early 1990s.{{Update inline|date=September 2021}} Four South Asian nations—India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka—are in the top ten list of Tokyo's aid recipients worldwide as of the early 1990s.{{Update inline|date=September 2021}} A point to note is that Indian Government has received no aid since the 2004 Tsunami that struck India but Indian registered NGOs look to Japan for much investment in their projects.{{cite web | url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/opinion/the-evolution-of-india-s-pragmatic-policy-on-foreign-aid-101625491331811-amp.html | title=The evolution of India's pragmatic policy on foreign aid | date=5 July 2021 }}
Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu signaled a broadening of Japan's interest in South Asia with his swing through the region in April 1990. In an address to the Indian parliament, Kaifu stressed the role of free markets and democracy in bringing about "a new international order," and he emphasized the need for a settlement of the Kashmir territorial dispute between India and Pakistan and for economic liberalization to attract foreign investment and promote dynamic growth. To India, which was very short of hard currency, Kaifu pledged a new concessional loan of ¥100 billion (about US$650 million) for the coming year.
Japan’s engagement with the Middle East region reflects a sophisticated, multi-dimensional approach that has evolved since the 1973 oil crisis. Initially driven by energy security concerns, Japan’s strategy now includes economic partnerships, cultural exchanges, and political collaboration. By strengthening ties with both energy-exporting nations like Saudi Arabia and non-energy-focused countries such as Egypt, Japan has built a network of interdependence that extends beyond oil to broader strategic and cultural dimensions.{{cite book |last1=Nakamura |first1=Satoru |last2=Wright |first2=Steven |title=Japan and the Middle East |chapter=A Conceptualisation of Japan’s Relations with the Middle East |date=2023 |publisher=Springer Nature Singapore |pages=12–20 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3459-9_1}}
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! scope="col" width="15%"| Country ! scope="col" width="12%"| Formal relations began ! scope="col"| Notes | ||
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|{{flag|Afghanistan }} | 19 November 1930mfat | See Afghanistan–Japan relations
Afghan–Japanese relations have existed as far back as World War II, and have been mainly positive. The Japanese government in 1974 started feasibility study under grant aid to develop and built television in Afghanistan. |
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|{{flag|Azerbaijan}} | 27 January 1992 | See Azerbaijan–Japan relations |
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|{{flag|Bahrain}} | 15 May 1974 | See Bahrain–Japan relations |
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|{{flag|Bangladesh }} | February 1972 | See Bangladesh–Japan relations
Bangladeshi–Japanese relations were established in February 1972.{{Cite web|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs|location=Japan|title=Japan–Bangladesh Relations|date=March 2008|access-date=9 April 2008|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/bangladesh/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214090204/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/bangladesh/index.html|archive-date=14 February 2008}} Japan is Bangladesh's 11th-largest export market; imports from Bangladesh make up 26% of all Japanese imports from the least developed countries, second only to those from Cambodia. Common imports from Bangladesh to Japan include leather goods, ready-made garments, and shrimp.{{Cite book|contribution=East Asian Security: A Bangladesh Perspective|last=Abdul Matin|first=Muhammad|pages=504–528|title=Changing Security Dynamic in Eastern Asia: Focus on Japan|editor1-last=Sisodia|editor1-first=N. S.|editor2-last=Naidu|editor2-first=G. V. C.|publisher=Bibliophile South Asia|year=2005|isbn=978-81-86019-52-8}} By 2004, Japan had become Bangladesh's fourth-largest source of foreign direct investment, behind the United States, United Kingdom, and Malaysia. Japan's political goals in its relationship with Bangladesh include gaining support for their bid to join the United Nations Security Council, and securing markets for their finished goods. Japan is a significant source of development aid to Bangladesh.{{Cite journal|title=Japan's Political and Economic Goals in Bangladesh|journal=Asian Affairs|volume=27|issue=4|pages=41–50|date=October–December 2005|last=Ashrafur Rahman|first=Syed|url=http://www.cdrb.org/journal/2005/4/3.pdf|access-date=9 April 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528063908/http://www.cdrb.org/journal/2005/4/3.pdf|archive-date=28 May 2008}} |
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|{{flag|Bhutan }} | 28 March 1986 | See Bhutan–Japan relations |
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|{{flag|Brunei }} | 2 April 1984 | See Brunei–Japan relations
Brunei has an embassy in Tokyo, and Japan has an embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan.{{cite web|url=http://www.mofat.gov.bn/index.php/bilateral-relations/item/71 |title=Brunei-Japan Relations |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Brunei) |access-date=16 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222051946/http://www.mofat.gov.bn/index.php/bilateral-relations/item/71 |archive-date=22 February 2014 }} Relations has been established since 2 April 1984. |
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|{{flag|Cambodia }} | 1953 | See Cambodia–Japan relations
Japan has an embassy in Phnom Penh. Trade is sizable between the two countries:
Japanese investment in Cambodia includes Phnom Penh Commercial Bank, a joint venture of Hyundai Switzerland and Japanese SBI Group, opened in 2008. Japan remains Cambodia's top donor country providing some US$1.2 billion in total overseas development assistance (ODA) during the period since 1992.{{cite web |url=http://www.japaninc.com/mgz_september_2008_business-in-cambodia |title=Business in Cambodia | Japan – Business People Technology |publisher=japaninc.com |date=31 August 2008 |access-date=19 September 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927025300/http://www.japaninc.com/mgz_september_2008_business-in-cambodia |archive-date=27 September 2011 }} In 2006, Japanese and Cambodian governments signed an agreement outlining a new Japanese aid program worth US$59 million.{{cite web|url=http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/component/option,com_jcs/Itemid,52/crestrictid,7145/task,add/|title=Search|work=Phnom Penh Post|access-date=21 February 2015}}{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The Japanese Government has provided significant assistance for demining and education.{{cite web |url=http://www.embassyofcambodia.org/Information_Bulletin_2.pdf |title=Information Bulletin issued by Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Washington D.C. |volume=2|date=22 March 2006 |website=embassyofcambodia.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707090213/http://www.embassyofcambodia.org/Information_Bulletin_2.pdf |archive-date=7 July 2010}}{{cite web |url=http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2007/6/30/Japan-aids-cambodian-mine-clearance/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070623113212/http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2007/6/30/Japan-aids-cambodian-mine-clearance/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 June 2007 |title=Antara News |publisher=Antara.co.id |date=1 January 1970 |access-date=19 September 2011 }}
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|{{flag|China }} | 1972 | See China–Japan relations
File:Embassy of Japan in Beijing, China.jpg During the Meiji Era, China was one of the first countries to experience the effects of Japanese Imperialism. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, relations with Japan changed from hostility and an absence of contact to cordiality and extremely close cooperation in many fields. During the 1960s the two countries resumed trade for the first time since World War II under the Liao–Takasaki Agreement. On 29 September 1972, Japan and China signed a treaty establishing diplomatic relations between the states. The 1990s led to an enormous growth in China's economic welfare. Trade between Japan and China was one of the many reasons China was able to grow in the double-digit rates during the 1980s and 1990s. Japan was in the forefront among leading industrialized nations in restoring closer economic and political relations with China. China and Japan's bilateral relationship has often been referred to as "politically cold and economically warm". The two countries have been able to keep their political issues separate in hopes of being able to continue to benefit from each other's economic success and prosperity. Resumption of Japan's multibillion-dollar investments to China and increased visits to China by Japanese officials, culminating in the October 1992 visit of Emperor Akihito, gave a clear indication that Japan considered closer ties with China in its economic and strategic interest. Despite a 1995 apology regarding World War II by Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, tensions still remain, mostly because many Chinese feel there is a lack of true remorse for wartime crimes committed by Imperial Japanese forces. This has been reinforced by numerous visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese Prime Ministers, attempts to revise textbooks by Japanese nationalists, the continued dispute over Japan's atrocities in the Nanking Massacre, and the resurgence of nationalism and militarism in Japan. The resurgence of Japan's nationalism has changed widespread feelings about China among citizens. During the post-war period, many Japanese people acknowledged and appreciated China's influence on their culture and the country's achievements. However, the approval rate of the country began to go down due to a lack of acknowledgement of Japan's past economic contribution to China's development as China grew to be one of the largest economies in east Asia, China's military and economic growth and what that would mean for the possibility of growth in Japan, and the 2004 anti-Japanese nationalism protests in China, Relations between China and Japan have also been strained due to territory politics such as fights over The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands continue. Because the two are highly engaged economically, the countries try to keep their issues at bay but, as social disapproval increases and disagreements drawn out, it is possible the relationship between the two countries could shift. |
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|{{flag|India }} | 28 April 1952 | See India–Japan relations
File:Trilateral exercise 2007.jpg, Japanese and US naval warships take part in a military exercise near Bōsō Peninsula in 2007. India is one of the only three nations with whom Japan has a security pact, the other two being the United States and Australia.{{cite news | url=http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/2008/10/25/india-japan-in-security-pact-a-new-architecture-for-asia/ | work=Reuters | title=India, Japan in security pact; a new architecture for Asia? | date=25 October 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301213612/http://blogs.reuters.com/pakistan/2008/10/25/india-japan-in-security-pact-a-new-architecture-for-asia/ | archive-date=1 March 2010 | df=dmy-all }}]] Throughout history, bilateral foreign relations between Japan and India have generally been friendly and strong. In December 2006, Prime Minister Singh's visit to Japan culminated in the signing of the "Joint Statement Towards Japan–India Strategic and Global Partnership". According to Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's arc of freedom theory, it is in Japan's interests to develop closer ties with India, world's most populous democracy, while its relations with China remain chilly. To this end, Japan has funded many infrastructure projects in India, most notably in New Delhi's metro subway system and Maruti.India and Japan have signed a deal to build high speed trains in India{{Cite web|url=http://pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_report&report_id=706&language_id=1|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024174544/http://pinr.com/report.php?ac=view_report&report_id=706&language_id=1|url-status=dead|title=India Rediscovering East Asia, PINR|archivedate=24 October 2007}} Indian applicants have been welcomed in 2006–07 to the JET Programme, starting with just one slot available in 2006 and 41 in 2007. India and Japan signed a security cooperation agreement in which both will hold military exercises, police the Indian Ocean and conduct military-to-military exchanges on fighting terrorism, making India one of only three countries, the others being the United States and Australia, with which Japan has such a security pact. Japan is aiding India in building the High Speed Railway by giving India money and there are plans to export Japan's Shinkansen to India. |
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|{{flag|Indonesia }} | 20 January 1958 | See Indonesia–Japan relations |
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|{{flag|Iran}} | 1878 | See Iran–Japan relations
Japan's foreign policy towards and investments in Iran have historically been dominated by the desire to secure reliable energy supplies; Iran is Japan's third-largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.{{cite news|url=http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1615&CFID=32052905&CFTOKEN=39775290&jsessionid=9a30d4c02e6c7831342b|publisher=Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania|title=Japan Strives to Balance Energy Needs with World Politics|date=26 November 2006|access-date=8 August 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604235913/http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1615&CFID=32052905&CFTOKEN=39775290&jsessionid=9a30d4c02e6c7831342b|archive-date=4 June 2011}} Iran and Japan signed a visa-free travel arrangement in 1974, but it was terminated in April 1992 due to large-scale illegal Iranian migration to Japan.{{cite conference|title=Chapter III, Section 6: The Middle East|book-title=Diplomatic Bluebook: Japan's Diplomatic Activities|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan|url=http://www.mofa.jp/policy/other/bluebook/1992/1992-3-6.htm|year=1992|access-date=7 August 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928085544/http://www.mofa.jp/policy/other/bluebook/1992/1992-3-6.htm|archive-date=28 September 2007}} Iran and Japan also cooperate on regional foreign policy issues in the Middle East, such as the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.{{cite news|url=http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200205/05/eng20020505_95173.shtml|work=People's Daily|title=Iran, Japan Ready to Cooperate in Afghan, Palestinian Issues|date=5 May 2002|access-date=7 August 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228060659/http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200205/05/eng20020505_95173.shtml|archive-date=28 February 2008}} Since 2004, Japan has been working on developing Iran's largest on-shore oil field, located at Azadegan.{{cite news|url=http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-18/0609159288125734.htm|title=Japan ready for talks with Iran on lucrative Azadegan oil venture|publisher=Islamic Republic News Agency|date=15 September 2006|access-date=7 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930235416/http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-18/0609159288125734.htm |archive-date=30 September 2007}} |
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|{{flag|Israel}} | 15 May 1952
The Japanese government refrained from appointing a Minister Plenipotentiary to Israel until 1955. Relations between the two states were distant at first, but after 1958, as demand no break occurred. This had been at the same time that OPEC had imposed an oil embargo against several countries, including Japan. Recently ties between Israel and Japan have strengthened significantly, with many mutual investments between the two nations. Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe visited Israel twice – once in 2015{{Cite news|url = https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-strictly-business-for-shinzo-abe-in-israel-1.5364057|title = For Shinzo Abe in Israel, it's strictly business|newspaper = Haaretz|access-date = 14 April 2021|archive-date = 7 May 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220507152816/https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-strictly-business-for-shinzo-abe-in-israel-1.5364057|url-status = live}} and a second time in 2018.{{cite web |url=https://embassies.gov.il/MFA/PressRoom/2018/Pages/Japanese-PM-Shinz%C5%8D-Abe-arrives-in-Israel-on-an-official-visit-1-May-2018.aspx |title=Japanese PM Shinzō Abe arrives in Israel on an official visit |date=1 May 2018 |website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel |access-date=14 April 2021 |archive-date=12 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230412010718/https://embassies.gov.il/MFA/PressRoom/2018/Pages/Japanese-PM-Shinz%C5%8D-Abe-arrives-in-Israel-on-an-official-visit-1-May-2018.aspx |url-status=live }} | |
| {{Flag|Jordan}}
|14 July 1954 |Both countries established diplomatic relations on 14 July 1954.{{Cite web |title=JO-JP Relations |url=https://jordanembassyjapan.com/jordan-japan-relations/ |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan - Tokyo, Japan |language=en-US |archive-date=12 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612171705/https://jordanembassyjapan.com/jordan-japan-relations/ |url-status=live }} | ||
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|{{flag|Laos }} | 5 March 1955 | See Japan-Laos relations |
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|{{flag|Lebanon}} | November 1954
|
| |
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|{{flag|Malaysia }} | 31 August 1957 | See Japan–Malaysia relations
Japan has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and consulates in George Town and Kota Kinabalu. Malaysia maintains an embassy in Tokyo. The Japanese and Malaysian governments had visited each other on multiple occasions. Notable visits include the King of Malaysia visiting Japan in 2005 while in 2006, the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited Malaysia. |
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|{{flag|Maldives }} | 6 November 1967 | See Japan–Maldives relations |
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|{{flag|Mongolia }} | 1972 | See Mongolia–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Myanmar }} | 1 December 1954 | See Japan–Myanmar relations |
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|{{flag|Nepal }} | 28 July 1956 | See Japan–Nepal relations
|
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|{{flag|North Korea }} | See Japan–North Korea relations
No formal relations have been established between Japan and North Korea, though Japanese politicians have occasionally visited North Korea. Relations between Japan and North Korea have been historical hostile with incidents of confrontation.{{cite news|url=https://www.dw.com/en/north-koreans-in-japan-sense-growing-hostility/a-38609625|title=North Koreans in Japan sense growing hostility|first=Julian|last=Ryall|publisher=Deutsche Welle|date=27 April 2017|accessdate=11 April 2021|archive-date=30 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530060516/https://www.dw.com/en/north-koreans-in-japan-sense-growing-hostility/a-38609625|url-status=live}} Japan strongly supports the U.S. in its efforts to encourage North Korea to abide by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Despite 31 August 1998 North Korean missile test which overflew the Home Islands, Japan has maintained its support for the Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO) and the Agreed Framework, which seeks to freeze the North Korean nuclear program. The U.S., Japan, and South Korea closely coordinate and consult trilaterally on policy toward North Korea, at least on a government level. Japan has limited economic and commercial ties with North Korea. Japanese normalization talks halted when North Korea refused to discuss a number of issues with Japan. | |
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|{{flag|Pakistan }} | 28 April 1952 | See Japan–Pakistan relations
|
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|{{flag|Philippines }} | July 1956 | See Japan-Philippines relations
Relations between Japan and the Philippines were generally very strong since the end of World War II. It span a period from before the 16th century to the present. The Philippines gained independence from the United States in 1946. Diplomatic relations were re-established in 1956, when a war reparations agreement was concluded. By the end of the 1950s, Japanese companies and individual investors had begun to return to the Philippines and in 1975, Japan displaced the United States as the main source of investment in the Philippines. |
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|{{flag|Qatar}} | 1972 | See Japan–Qatar relations |
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|{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} | June 1955 | See Japan–Saudi Arabia relations
Saudi Arabian – Japan relations were established during the past half a century. Saudi–Japanese relations are based on mutual respect and common interests in all areas. |
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|{{flag|Singapore }} | 26 April 1966 | See Japan–Singapore relations |
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|{{flag|South Korea }} | December 1965 | See Japan–South Korea relations
Japan and South Korea have had many disputes. Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun rejected a conference with the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi following his visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. Many Koreans thought the presence of the Minister attending was a clear indication of the lack of respect and accountability Japan has done regarding the historical story of Japanese imperialism. Protests occurred in South Korea with citizens demanding the President to moblize and respond to the Japanese minister's offense and lack of remorse. Other long-running issues between the two countries include The Sea of Japan naming dispute, territorial disputes over the Liancourt Rocks theses disputes are long lasting effects of nationalistic feelings that overtime leaders have been able to use as part of political agenda. For Koreans, feelings of hope are also intermingled with deep rooted hostility towards the Japanese neighbors who once occupied their country and who still claim the islets as theirs. Takeshima is "indisputably an inherent part of the territory of Japan, in light of historical facts and based on international law", says the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It adds that the Republic of Korea has been occupying Takeshima with "no basis in international law," and that it will continue to seek the settlement "in a calm and peaceful manner". Additionally, disagreement about whether or not the matter of World War II-era forced prostitution has been resolved, so tensions between both countries have at times escalated situations surrounding elections and economic trade deals which have impacted both positive and negative interactions. While there has been compensation to the women and the families of the sex slave genuine polices to resolve the issue still arises during talks of cooperation especially since some are still living and the fact that many Japanese historical textbooks change the number of women or tend to ignore the very fact why the state is anti-military it was because of the abuses that occurred during the imperial times which makes cooperation between the two difficult. But with recent change in leadership and the objective to build up their trust we have seen talks of positive interactions moving forward. |
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|{{flag|Sri Lanka }} | 1952 | See Japan–Sri Lanka relations
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|{{flag|Syria}} | December 1953
| |
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|{{flag|Taiwan }} | 1952 | See Japan–Taiwan relations
Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895 and was a major Japanese prefecture in World War II. Following the unconditional surrender of Japan to Allied Powers after World War II, Taiwan was relinquished by Japan as a stolen territory from China (like Manchukuo) by the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951. Current relations are guided by the 1972 Japan–PRC Joint Communique. Since the joint Communique, Japan has maintained non-governmental, working-level relations with Taiwan. Japan refers to the Republic of China on Taiwan with the neutral name "Taiwan." |
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|{{flag|Thailand }} | 26 September 1887 | See Japan–Thailand relations
Japan–Thailand relations span a period from the 17th century to the present. Contacts had an early start with Japanese trade on Red seal ships and the installation of Japanese communities on Siamese soil, only to be broken off with Japan's period of seclusion. Contacts resumed in the 19th century and developed to the point where Japan is today one of Thailand's foremost economic partners. Thailand and Japan share the distinction of never having lost sovereignty during the Colonial period. |
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|{{flag|Timor-Leste}} | 20 May 2002 | See East Timor–Japan relations |
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|{{flag|Turkey }} | 1890s | See Japan–Turkey relations
|
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|{{flag|Vietnam }} | 21 September 1973 | See Japan–Vietnam relations
Vietnamese–Japanese relations stretch back to at least the 16th century, when the two countries engaged in friendly trade. Modern relations between the two countries are based on Vietnam's developing economy and Japan's role as an investor and foreign aid donor. |
=== Europe ===
File:34th G8 summit member 20080707.jpg (Tōyako Town, Hokkaidō)]]
{{See also|Japan–European Union relations}}
In what became known as the Tenshō embassy, the first ambassadors from Japan to European powers reached Lisbon, Portugal in August 1584. From Lisbon, the ambassadors left for the Vatican in Rome, which was the main goal of their journey. The embassy returned to Japan in 1590, after which time the four nobleman ambassadors were ordained by Alessandro Valignano as the first Japanese Jesuit fathers.
A second embassy, headed by Hasekura Tsunenaga and sponsored by Date Masamune, was also a diplomatic mission to the Vatican. The embassy left 28 October 1613 from Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan, where Date was daimyō. It traveled to Europe by way of New Spain, arriving in Acapulco on 25 January 1614, Mexico City in March, Havana in July, and finally Seville on 23 October 1614. After a short stop-over in France, the embassy reached Rome in November 1615, where it was received by Pope Paul V. After return travel by way of New Spain and the Philippines, the embassy reached the harbor of Nagasaki in August 1620. While the embassy was gone, Japan had undergone significant change, starting with the 1614 Osaka Rebellion, leading to a 1616 decree from the Tokugawa shogunate that all interaction with non-Chinese foreigners was confined to Hirado and Nagasaki. In fact, the only western country that was allowed to trade with Japan was the Dutch Republic. This was the beginning of "sakoku", where Japan was essentially closed to the western world until 1854.
=Modern era=
File:Bratislava, the Japanese Embassy.JPG in Bratislava, Slovakia]]
The cultural and non-economic ties with Western Europe grew significantly during the 1980s, although the economic nexus remained by far the most important element of Japanese – West European relations throughout the decade. Events in West European relations, as well as political, economic, or even military matters, were topics of concern to most Japanese commentators because of the immediate implications for Japan. The major issues centered on the effect of the coming West European economic unification on Japan's trade, investment, and other opportunities in Western Europe. Some West European leaders were anxious to restrict Japanese access to the newly integrated European Union, but others appeared open to Japanese trade and investment. In partial response to the strengthening economic ties among nations in Western Europe and to the United States–Canada–Mexico North American Free Trade Agreement, Japan and other countries along the Asia-Pacific rim began moving in the late 1980s toward greater economic cooperation.
On 18 July 1991, after several months of difficult negotiations, Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu signed a joint statement with the Dutch prime minister and head of the European Community Council, Ruud Lubbers, and with the European Commission president, Jacques Delors, pledging closer Japanese – European Community consultations on foreign relations, scientific and technological cooperation, assistance to developing countries, and efforts to reduce trade conflicts. Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials hoped that this agreement would help to broaden Japanese – European Community political links and raise them above the narrow confines of trade disputes.
| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; margin:auto;" | ||
| style="width:15%;"| Country
! style="width:12%;"| Formal relations began !Notes | ||
|---|---|---|
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|{{flag|Albania }} | April 1922; re-established in 1981
Albania and Japan resumed established diplomatic relations in March 1981.[http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/albania/index.html Japan-Albania Relations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419204346/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/albania/index.html |date=19 April 2012 }}, Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan | |
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|{{flag|Armenia }} | 7 September 1992
| |
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|{{flag|Austria }} | 18 October 1869 | See Austria–Japan relations |
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|{{flag|Belgium }} | 1 August 1866 | See Belgium–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Bulgaria }} | 1890s | See Bulgaria–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Croatia }} | 5 March 1992 | See Croatia–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Czech Republic }} | 12 January 1920 | See Czech Republic–Japan relations{{cite web|url=http://www.mzv.cz/tokyo/en/political_relations/political_relations_history_and_present/establishing_of_diplomatic_relations_and.html |title=Establishing of Diplomatic Relations and Interwar Development | Embassy of the Czech Republic in Tokyo |publisher=Mzv.cz |date=20 October 2010 |access-date=19 September 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306051646/http://www.mzv.cz/tokyo/en/political_relations/political_relations_history_and_present/establishing_of_diplomatic_relations_and.html |archive-date=6 March 2012}}
|
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|{{flag|Denmark }} | 1867 | See Denmark–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|European Union }} | 1959 | See Japan–European Union relations |
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|{{flag|Finland }} | 6 September 1919 | See Finland–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|France }} | 9 October 1858 | See France–Japan relations
The history of {{nihongo| Franco–Japanese relations |日仏関係|Nichi-Futsu kankei}} goes back to the early 17th century, when a Japanese samurai and ambassador on his way to Rome landed for a few days in Southern France, creating a sensation. France and Japan have enjoyed a very robust and progressive relationship spanning centuries through various contacts in each other's countries by senior representatives, strategic efforts, and cultural exchanges.
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|{{flag|Georgia }} | 3 August 1992 | See Georgia–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Germany }} | 24 January 1861 | See Germany–Japan relations
Regular meetings between the two countries have led to several cooperations. In 2004 German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed upon cooperations in the assistance for reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan,{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_iraq.html|title=Japanese–German Cooperation and Coordination in the Assistance for Reconstruction of Iraq|access-date=24 November 2008|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|date=9 November 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802225000/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_iraq.html|archive-date=2 August 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_afghanistan.html|title=Japanese–German Cooperation and Coordination in the Assistance for Reconstruction of Afghanistan|access-date=24 November 2008|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|date=9 November 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803082530/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_afghanistan.html|archive-date=3 August 2009}} the promotion of economic exchange activities,{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_eco_exc.html|title=Japanese–German Economic Exchanges|access-date=24 November 2008|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|date=9 November 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803094058/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_eco_exc.html|archive-date=3 August 2009}} youth and sports exchanges{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_sports_exc.html|title=Japanese German Youth / Sports Exchange|access-date=24 November 2008|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|date=9 November 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090802215301/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_sports_exc.html|archive-date=2 August 2009}} as well as exchanges and cooperation in science, technology and academic fields.{{cite web|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_cp_exc.html|title=Japanese–German Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation and Exchanges|access-date=24 November 2008|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|date=9 November 2004|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804145121/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/germany/summit0412/fs_cp_exc.html|archive-date=4 August 2009}}
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|{{flag|Greece }} | June 1899 | See Greece–Japan relations
There has been a Greek embassy in Tokyo since 1960, and a Japanese embassy in Athens since the same year, when it was decided to upgrade the Japanese Consulate which had opened in 1956. Since then the two countries have enjoyed excellent relations in all fields, and cooperate closely.{{cite web|url=http://www.ypex.gov.gr/www.mfa.gr/en-US/Policy/Geographic+Regions/Asia+-+Oceania/Bilateral+Relations/Japan/|title=Ελληνική Δημοκρατία – Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών|access-date=21 February 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717011254/http://www.ypex.gov.gr/www.mfa.gr/en-US/Policy/Geographic+Regions/Asia+-+Oceania/Bilateral+Relations/Japan/|archive-date=17 July 2011}}
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|{{flag|Holy See }} | March 1942 | See Holy See–Japan relations
The first Papal visit to Japan took place in 1981. the present Apostolic Nuncio to Japan is Joseph Chennoth (since 2011) Japan first sent an ambassador, Ken Harada, to the Vatican during World War II. |
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|{{flag|Hungary }} | 1921 | See Hungary–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Iceland}} | 8 December 1956 | See Iceland–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Ireland}} | March 1957 | See Ireland–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Italy}} | 25 August 1866{{cite web|url=https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/italy/data.html|title=Archived copy|access-date=14 December 2022|archive-date=14 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214170049/https://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/italy/data.html|url-status=live}} | See Italy–Japan relations
|
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|{{flag|Kosovo}} | 25 February 2009 | See Japan–Kosovo relations
Japan recognised it on 18 March 2008.{{cite news|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2008/3/0318.html|title=Statement by Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura on the Recognition of the Republic of Kosovo|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|date=18 March 2008|access-date=18 March 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321171414/http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2008/3/0318.html|archive-date=21 March 2008}} The first Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Kosovo is Akio Tanaka. He is subordinate to the Japanese Embassy in Vienna, Austria.{{cite news|url=http://www.newkosovareport.com/200906231843/Politics/Japan–and-Kosovo-strengthen-diplomatic-ties.html|title=Japan and Kosovo strengthen diplomatic ties|publisher=New Kosova Report|date=23 June 2009|access-date=24 June 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051444/http://www.newkosovareport.com/200906231843/Politics/Japan%E2%80%93and-Kosovo-strengthen-diplomatic-ties.html|archive-date=4 March 2016}} |
| {{flag|Liechtenstein}}
|See Japan–Liechtenstein relations
| ||
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|{{flag|Lithuania }} | 1919;10 October 1991 | See Japan–Lithuania relations
|
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|{{flag|Malta }} | See Japan–Malta relations
| |
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|{{flag|Moldova }} | 16 March 1992 | * Japan has a non-resident ambassador in Ukraine.
|
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|{{flag|Montenegro}} | 24 July 2006 | See Japan–Montenegro relations
Japan recognised Montenegro on 16 June 2006 and established diplomatic relations on 24 July 2006. Montenegro had declared war on Japan in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War and never signed a peace treaty until 2006, shortly before the opening of diplomatic relations. The war lasted for 101 years. Trade, mostly related to electronics, exports from Japan to Montenegro (163 million yen per annum) outweigh Japan's imports (2 million yen per annum).
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|{{flag|Netherlands }} | 1609 | See Japan–Netherlands relations
The relations between Japan and the Netherlands after 1945 have been a triangular relationship. The invasion and Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies during World War II brought about the destruction of the colonial state in Indonesia, as the Japanese removed as much of the Dutch government as they could, weakening the post-war grip the Netherlands had over the territory. Under pressure from the United States, the Netherlands recognised Indonesian sovereignty in 1949 (see United States of Indonesia).
|
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|{{flag|Norway}} | 1905–11 | See Foreign relations of Norway
|
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|{{flag|Poland}} | March 1919 | See Japan–Poland relations
|
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|{{flag|Portugal }} | 3 August 1860 | See Japan–Portugal relations
{{see also|Category:Japan–Portugal relations}} |
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|{{flag|Romania }} | 18 June 1902 | See Foreign relations of Romania#Asia: East Asia
|
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|{{flag|Russia }} | 7 February 1855 | See Japan–Russia relations
Japan's relations with Russia are hampered by the two sides' inability to resolve their territorial dispute over the four islands that make up the Northern Territories (Kuriles), which the Soviet Union seized towards the end of World War II. The stalemate has prevented conclusion of a peace treaty formally ending the war. The dispute over the Kuril Islands exacerbated the Japan–Russo relations when the Japanese government published a new guideline for school textbooks on 16 July 2008 to teach Japanese children that their country has sovereignty over the Kuril Islands. The Russian public was outraged by the action the Foreign Minister of Russia criticized the action while reaffirming its sovereignty over the islands.[http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/19/content_8571164.htm Russia hopes to solve territorial dispute with Japan by strengthening trust] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116103740/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-07/19/content_8571164.htm |date=16 November 2013 }}, Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 19 July 2008 |
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|{{flag|Serbia }} | reestablished in 1952 | See Japan–Serbia relations |
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|{{flag|Slovenia }} | 12 October 1992
|
| |
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|{{flag|Spain }} | First contact in 1584, officialized in 1868. Relations were broken on 11 April 1945 and reestablished in 1952
| |
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|{{flag|Sweden }} | 1868 | See Japan–Sweden relations
|
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|{{flag|Switzerland }} | 6 February 1864 | * Japan has an embassy in Bern and a general consulate in Geneva.{{cite web|url=http://www.ch.emb-japan.go.jp/|title=Japanische Botschaft in der Schweiz|access-date=21 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221055807/http://www.ch.emb-japan.go.jp/|archive-date=21 February 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.geneve.ch.emb-japan.go.jp/|title=Consulat du Japon à Genève|access-date=21 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220070942/http://www.geneve.ch.emb-japan.go.jp/|archive-date=20 February 2015}}
|
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|{{flag|Ukraine }} | 26 January 1992 | See Japan–Ukraine relations
|url = http://www.mfa.gov.ua/japan/en/news/top.htm |title = Ukrainian embassy in Tokyo |publisher = Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine |access-date = 22 April 2009 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.today/20121222115004/http://japan.mfa.gov.ua/ua |archive-date = 22 December 2012 |df = dmy-all }}
|url=http://www.ua.emb-japan.go.jp/E/Home-page/index_en.htm |title=Embassy of Japan in Ukraine |publisher=Embassy of Japan in Ukraine |access-date=22 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527012312/http://www.ua.emb-japan.go.jp/E/Home-page/index_en.htm |archive-date=27 May 2009 }} |
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|{{flag|United Kingdom }} | 26 August 1858 | See Japan–United Kingdom relations
Japan established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom in 26 August 1858.
Both countries share common membership of CPTPP, the G7, the G20, the International Criminal Court, OECD, and the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, and a Reciprocal Access Agreement. |
= Oceania =
{{See also|Japan–Oceania relations}}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; margin:auto;" | ||
| style="width:15%;"| Country
! style="width:12%;"| Formal relations began !Notes | ||
|---|---|---|
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|{{flag|Australia }} | 1947 | See Australia–Japan relations
File:Katsuya Okada Hillary Rodham Clinton and Stephen Smith 20090921.jpg (left), U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (center) and Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith (right), in 2009]] Australia–Japan relations have generally warm as well as acknowledged mutuality of strong interests, beliefs and friendship, and has since continued to grow strongly over the years.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} However, memories of World War II linger among the older members of the Australian public,{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} as does a contemporary fear of Japanese economic domination over countries, particularly Australia, although such fears have fallen off in response to Japan's economic stagnation in the 1990s.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} At the same time, government and business leaders see Japan as a vital export market and an essential element in Australia's strong future growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia is also a major source of food and raw materials for Japan. In 1988 Australia accounted for 5.5 percent of total Japanese imports, a share that held relatively steady in the late 1980s. Due to its ability to export raw materials, Australia had a trade surplus with Japan.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} Australia was the largest single supplier of coal, iron ore, wool, and sugar to Japan in 1988. Australia is also a supplier of uranium.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} Japanese investment by 1988 made Australia the single largest source of Japanese regional imports. Resource development projects in Australia attracted Japanese capital, as did trade protectionism by necessitating local production for the Australian market. Investments in Australia totaled US$8.1 billion in 1988, accounting for 4.4 percent of Japanese direct investment abroad. There is some tension regarding the issue of whaling.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} |
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|{{flag|Fiji }} | 1 October 1970 | See Fiji-Japan relations |
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|{{flag|New Zealand}} | 1952 | See Japan–New Zealand relations
File:Keith Holyoake and Masayoshi Ohira cropped 2 Keith Holyoake and Masayoshi Ohira 197210.jpg (left) met with Japanese Foreign Minister Masayoshi Ohira (right), in October 1972.]] Japan–New Zealand relations have had generally cordial relations since the post-World War II period, with Japan being a major trading partner with New Zealand. These relations have held together despite policy disputes over whaling and the International Whaling Commission. In March 2011, New Zealand sent an urban search and rescue team, which had spent time the previous three weeks searching buildings after the last month's devastating earthquake in Christchurch, and 15 tonnes of rescue equipment to assist Japan following the Tōhoku earthquake and the subsequent of tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster.{{cite news|url=http://www.3news.co.nz/New-Zealand-USAR-team-arrive-in-Japan/tabid/423/articleID/202316/Default.aspx|title=New Zealand USAR team arrive in Japan|publisher=3 News|date=14 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200627/http://www.3news.co.nz/New-Zealand-USAR-team-arrive-in-Japan/tabid/423/articleID/202316/Default.aspx|archive-date=29 October 2013|access-date=30 November 2018}} New Zealand Parliament sends condolences to the people of Japan, and the government donated $2 million to the Japanese Red Cross Society to support relief efforts.{{cite news|url=http://beehive.govt.nz/release/support-japan|title=Support for Japan|publisher=Beehive.govt.nz|date=21 March 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520164530/http://beehive.govt.nz/release/support-japan|archive-date=20 May 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.nzembassy.com/japan/news/new-zealand-fire-service-urban-search-and-rescue-usar |title=New Zealand Fire Service Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) |publisher=NZ Embassy |date=21 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331171611/https://www.nzembassy.com/japan/news/new-zealand-fire-service-urban-search-and-rescue-usar |archive-date=31 March 2012 }}
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|{{flag|Palau }} | 2 November 1994 | See Japan–Palau relations |
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|{{flag|Tonga }} | 1970 | See Japan–Tonga relations
Japan and the Kingdom of Tonga have maintained official diplomatic relations since July 1970.[http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/tonga/ "Japan–Tonga Relations"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122212948/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/tonga/ |date=22 November 2009 }}, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Japan is Tonga's leading donor in the field of technical aid. The Japanese government describes its relations with Tonga as "excellent", and states that "the Imperial family of Japan and the Royal family of Tonga have developed a cordial and personal relationship over the years". |
Disputed territories
{{main|Territorial disputes of Japan}}
Japan has several territorial disputes with its neighbors concerning the control of certain outlying islands.
Japan contests Russia's control of the Southern Kuril Islands (including Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group) which were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945.MOFA, [http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/territory/index.html Japan's Northern Territories] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322191810/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/russia/territory/index.html |date=22 March 2011 }} South Korea's assertions concerning Liancourt Rocks (Japanese: "Takeshima", Korean: "Dokdo") are acknowledged, but not accepted by Japan.MOFA, [http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/takeshima/index.html The Issue of Takeshima] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019211509/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/takeshima/index.html |date=19 October 2012 }} Japan has strained relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) over the Senkaku Islands;MOFA, [http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/senkaku/senkaku.html The Basic View on the Sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100930044112/http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/senkaku/senkaku.html |date=30 September 2010 }} and with the People's Republic of China over the status of Okinotorishima.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Akagi, Roy Hidemichi. Japan's Foreign Relations 1542-1936: A Short History (Hokuseido Press, 1936). [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.226231 online] 560pp
- Akimoto, Daisuke. The Abe Doctrine: Japan's Proactive Pacifism and Security Strategy (Springer, 2018).
- Barnhart, Michael A. Japan and the World since 1868 (Hodder Education, 1995) [https://www.amazon.com/Japan-World-International-Relations-Powers/dp/0340528575 excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107232853/https://www.amazon.com/Japan-World-International-Relations-Powers/dp/0340528575 |date=7 November 2022 }}
- Bradford, John. "Southeast Asia: A New Strategic Nexus for Japan's Maritime Strategy." CIMSEC (September 2020). [https://cimsec.org/southeast-asia-a-new-strategic-nexus-for-japans-maritime-strategy/ online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020043455/https://cimsec.org/southeast-asia-a-new-strategic-nexus-for-japans-maritime-strategy/ |date=20 October 2021 }}
- Buckley, Roger. US-Japan Alliance Diplomacy 1945–1990 (Cambridge University Press, 1992).
- Duus, Peter, ed. The Cambridge History of Japan, Vol. 6: The Twentieth Century (Cambridge University Press, 1989).
- Gustafsson, Karl, Linus Hagström, and Ulv Hanssen. "Japan's pacifism is dead." Survival 60.6 (2018): 137–158.
- Hatano, Sumio. One Hundred Fifty Years of Japanese Foreign Relations: From 1868 to 2018 (Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2022). [https://www.jpicinternational.com/books/politicalscience/ce5604ee96133b803263bbb83895fb299e371380.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221020210454/https://www.jpicinternational.com/books/politicalscience/ce5604ee96133b803263bbb83895fb299e371380.html |date=20 October 2022 }}
- Hook, Glenn D. et al. Japan's International Relations: Politics, Economics and Security 3rd ed (Routledge, 2011), covers 1945–2010.
- Inoguchi, Takashi. Japan's Foreign Policy in an Era of Global Change (Bloomsbury, 2013).
- Iriye, Akira. Japan and the Wider World: From the Mid-Nineteenth Century to the Present (Routledge, 1997).
- Iriye, Akira and Robert A. Wampler eds. Partnership: The United States and Japan, 1951-2001 (Kodansha International, 2001). [https://archive.org/details/partnership00robe online]
- Kibata, Yoichi and Ian Nish, eds. The History of Anglo-Japanese Relations, 1600–2000: Volume I: The Political-Diplomatic Dimension, 1600–1930 (Palgrave Macmillan, 2000) [https://www.amazon.com/History-Anglo-Japanese-Relations-1600-2000-Political-Diplomatic/dp/0333753879/ excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405155545/https://www.amazon.com/History-Anglo-Japanese-Relations-1600-2000-Political-Diplomatic/dp/0333753879 |date=5 April 2022 }}, first of five topical volumes also covering social, economic and military relations between Japan and Great Britain.
- LaFeber, Walter. The Clash: A History of U.S.-Japan Relations (W. W. Norton, 1997), a standard scholarly history; [https://archive.org/details/clashhistoryofus00lafe online]
- Malafaia, Thiago Corrêa. "Japanese International Relations: An Assessment of the 1971–2011 Period." Brazilian Political Science Review 10.1 (2016). [http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1981-38212016000100207&script=sci_arttext online in English] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724201831/https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1981-38212016000100207 |date=24 July 2020 }}
- Maslow, Sebastian, Ra Mason, and Paul O’Shea, eds. Risk State: Japan's Foreign Policy in an Age of Uncertainty (Ashgate, 2015) 202pp [http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&title_id=19921&edition_id=1209350164&calcTitle=1&lang=cy-gb excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923175421/http://www.ashgate.com/default.aspx?page=637&title_id=19921&edition_id=1209350164&calcTitle=1&lang=cy-gb |date=23 September 2015 }}
- Matray, James I. ed. East Asia and the United States: An Encyclopedia of Relations since 1784 2 volumes (Greenwood, 2002).
- Nakamura, Satoru, and Wright, Steven (eds.). Japan and the Middle East. Springer Nature Singapore, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3459-9
- Peng Er, Lam, ed. Japan's Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century: Continuity and Change (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020). [https://www.amazon.com/Japans-Foreign-Policy-Twenty-First-Century/dp/149858795X/ excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929032632/https://www.amazon.com/Japans-Foreign-Policy-Twenty-First-Century/dp/149858795X |date=29 September 2021 }}
- Pugliese, Giulio, and Alessio Patalano. "Diplomatic and Security Practice under Abe Shinzō: The Case for Realpolitik Japan." Australian Journal of International Affairs 74.6 (2020): 615–632.
- Shimamoto, Mayako, Koji Ito, and Yoneyuki Sugita, eds. Historical Dictionary of Japanese Foreign Policy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) [https://www.amazon.com/Historical-Dictionary-Dictionaries-Diplomacy-Relations-ebook/dp/B0101SY8R6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495446484&sr=8-1&keywords=Historical+Dictionary+of+Japanese+Foreign+Policy excerpt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028074824/https://www.amazon.com/Historical-Dictionary-Dictionaries-Diplomacy-Relations-ebook/dp/B0101SY8R6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495446484&sr=8-1&keywords=Historical+Dictionary+of+Japanese+Foreign+Policy |date=28 October 2023 }}
- Togo, Kazuhiko. Japan's Foreign Policy 1945–2003 (Brill, 2005).
- Yoshimatsu, Hidetaka. "Japan's Role Conception in Multilateral Initiatives: The Evolution from Hatoyama to Abe." Australian Journal of International Affairs 72.2 (2018): 129–144.
- Zakowski, Karol et al. eds. Japan's Foreign Policy Making: Central Government Reforms, Decision-Making Processes, and Diplomacy (Springer, 2018). [http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/60241/1/193.pdf.pdf online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020042836/http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/60241/1/193.pdf.pdf |date=20 October 2021 }}
- Zakowski, Karol. "Nationalism vs. Interests: A Neoclassical Realist Perspective on Japan's Policy towards China under the Second Abe Administration." Pacific Focus 34.3 (2019): 473–495.
External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- Various articles and discussion papers on Japan's foreign relations in the [http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk electronic journal of contemporary Japanese studies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051108105216/http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/ |date=8 November 2005 }}
- [http://allafrica.com/stories/200611090213.html Rwanda: Kagame Addresses Japanese Senate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002223031/http://allafrica.com/stories/200611090213.html |date=2 October 2012 }}
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130514234018/http://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552494/search?query=geographic-region%3A%22Japan%22 Videos on Japan's Relations with the US]}} from the {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160115205405/https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/handle/10822/552494 Dean Peter Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital Archives]}}
{{Japan topics}}
{{Foreign relations of Japan}}
{{Asia topic|Foreign relations of}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreign Relations of Japan}}