Europe
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 daimyo. 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. This was the beginning of "sakoku", where Japan was essentially closed to the western world until 1854.
- Modern era
Although cultural and non-economic ties with Western Europe grew significantly during the 1980s, 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 centred 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 (until November 1993, the European Community), 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.
| Country | Formal Relations Began | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1981 | See Albania–Japan relations
Albania and Japan resumed established diplomatic relations in March 1981.
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| Armenia | 1992-09-07 | See Armenia–Japan relations
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| Austria | 1869 | See Austria–Japan relations
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| Bulgaria | 1869 | See Bulgaria–Japan relations
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| Croatia | 1920 and restored 1957 | See Foreign relations of the Czech Republic#Asia |
| Denmark | 1867 | See Denmark–Japan relations |
| Estonia | 1991 | See Foreign relations of Estonia#Relations by country |
| European Union | 1959 | See Japan–European Union relations |
| Finland | 1919 | See Foreign relations of Finland#Asia |
| France | 1858 | See France–Japan relations
The history of 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. |
| Georgia | 1992-08-03 | See Georgia–Japan relations
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| Germany | 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, the promotion of economic exchange activities, youth and sports exchanges as well as exchanges and cooperation in science, technology and academic fields. |
| Greece | 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. |
| Holy See | 1942-03 | The first Papal visit to Japan took place in 1981. the present Apostolic Nuncio to Japan is Archbishop Alberto Bottari de Castello (since 2005) Japan first sent an ambassador, Ken Harada, to the Vatican during World War II. |
| Hungary | 1921 | See Hungary–Japan relations
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| Iceland | 1956 | See Foreign relations of Iceland#Rest of world |
| Ireland | 1957 | See Foreign relations of the Republic of Ireland#Asia |
| Italy | 1861 | See Foreign relations of Italy#Asia and Oceania |
| Kosovo | 2008 | See Japan–Kosovo relations
Japan recognised it in 18 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 |
| Lithuania | 1991 | See Japan–Lithuania relations
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| Netherlands | 1609;1858 | See Japan–Netherlands relations
The relations between Japan and the Netherlands after 1945 have been a triangular relationship. The invasion and occupation of the Netherlands 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). |
| Moldova | 1992-03-16 |
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| 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). |
| Romania | August 1902 | See Foreign relations of Romania#Asia: East Asia
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| Russia | 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 U.S.S.R. 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. |
| Serbia | 1997-05-20 | See Japan–Serbia relations
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| Slovenia | 1992-10 |
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| Soviet Union | 1925 | See Japan–Soviet Union relations
Relations between the Soviet Union (1922–1991) and Japan were always tense. For one, both countries were in opposite camps during the Cold War. A second strain on relations is territorial conflicts, dealing with both the Kuril Islands dispute and the South Sakhalin dispute. These two, and a number of smaller conflicts, prevented both countries from signing a peace treaty after World War II, and even in 2007 matters remain unresolved. Strains in Japan – Soviet Union relations have deep historical roots, going back to the competition of the Japanese and Russian empires for dominance in Northeast Asia. In 1993, nearly fifty years after the end of World War II, a state of war between Japan and Russia existed technically because the government in Moscow had refused in the intervening years to sign the 1951 peace treaty. On 30 July 1998, the newly elected Japanese prime minister Keizō Obuchi had focused on major issues: signing a peace treaty with Russia, and reviving the Japanese economy. Before his death, his policy with the Russian Federation has eluded implementation and the relations between the two nations remained under a state of war. The main stumbling block in all Japan's subsequent efforts to establish bilateral relations on what it called "a truly stable basis" was the territorial dispute over the Kurils, which are known as the Northern Territories in Japan. |
| Spain | First contact in 1613, officialized in 1868. |
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| Switzerland | 1864 |
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| Turkey | 1924 | See Japan–Turkey relations
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| Ukraine | 1992-01-26 | See Japan–Ukraine relations
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| United Kingdom | 1854 | See Japan–United Kingdom relations
The relationship between the United Kingdom and Japan began in 1600 with the arrival of William Adams (Adams the Pilot, Miura Anjin) on the shores of Kyūshū at Usuki in Ōita Prefecture. During the Sakoku period (1641–1853) there were no relations, but the treaty of 1854 saw the resumption of ties which, despite the hiatus of the Second World War, remain very strong in the present day. |
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