Bilateral relations Spain – Japan

Bilateral relations Spain – Japan: a friendship of 150 years

Did you know that first contact between Spain and Japan it was thanks to a jesuit missionary? Or what Japan kept a isolation policy by more than 200 years? These and other questions can be answered if you continue reading.

To begin, it is important to mention the history before diplomacy Nippon-Spain:

Disembarkation of Kagoshima

Francisco de Jaso y Azpilicueta, nicknamed Saint Francis Xavier by Christians, was a missionary belonging to the company of Jesus who during the XVI century He decided evangelize the lands of the “far east”, traveling through regions such as India, the Philippines or even the country of the rising sun.

During one of his trips to Manila (current capital of the Philippines), Saint Francis Xavier met a native of Japan with excellent wisdom and great capacity for reasoning, something highly valued by the Jesuits and Western society of the time. His friendship with this traveler called Anjiro It was what made him venture to evangelize a territory as exotic as Japan. He August 15th, 1549 I arrive the missionary a the coasts of the Japanese city of Kagoshima.

Francis Xavier, a Catholic saint in 16th century Japan

But this was not the only encounter between two very distant cultures, since en 1609 a shipwreck near the city of Onjuku resulted in the first relationship between two members of state institutions (the shogun Tokugawa and the governor of the Philippines). This act is what is considered as beginning of relations between Spain and Japan. Currently there is in the city of Onjuku a monument dedicated to this event and in 2009 the then King of Spain Juan Carlos I awarded the inhabitants of the city the insignia of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, thanks to the help they provided to the shipwrecked.

200 years of isolation: The period Edo

During the early years of the 17th century Commercial relations with the West were allowed in Japan, although with some suspicion, since both Spain and Portugal were known for their colonization. This fear, added to the presence of Christianity in the region, encouraged the newly proclaimed shogun Ieyasu (who had various internal conflicts to achieve the power that meant being shogun) to punish anyone who professed Christianity, in addition to the capture and expulsion of the missionaries, who were considered “disguised conquerors.” In 1624 the expulsion of the Spanish in the archipelago was ordered. All of these isolation policies are known as sakoku.

After this there was no more contact between the two cultures than that permitted by the shogun, and it was not until 1868 that both countries would meet again.

1868: Treaty of Friendship, commerce and navigation between Spain and Japan

In the year 1868 is when the sakoku, which allows Japan to have international life again. In this same year, under the reign of Isabel II of Bourbon, Spain signs the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, which allowed residence in both countries to both Japanese and Spanish citizens, in addition to providing knowledge of the existing ports in Japan that from that moment on will be used to trade with Spaniards, and not only with Japanese.

Read: Beginning of Japan-Spain diplomatic relations

Another feature was the creation for the first time of a Spanish consulate in the prefecture (a term similar to “autonomy”) of Kanagawa, truly beginning diplomatic relations between both countries, something that will last until today.

2018: 150 years of the treaty and bilateral relations Spain – Japan

In 2018 the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship marked, and both Spain and Japan celebrated it with commemorative events and festivities. The reality is that diplomatic relations between both countries since their creation in 1868 have not changed much, probably due to the geographical distance between them, which has always allowed them to maintain a cordial atmosphere.

Despite these good diplomatic relations, the business relationships have been almost nil until not too long ago. Thanks to the EU and the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan Both countries have gained opportunities to improve their trade. Among the characteristics of this agreement are the reduction of tariffs between both regions, which favors Spain especially in the agri-food industry (Japan maintained tariffs of 40% on beef, or 15% on wine). Furthermore, Japanese technological and telecommunications products will undoubtedly favor the development of Spain.

Country sheet: Japan

Although we have seen that both Spain and Japan have been friends for more than a century, it is convenient that this friendship be reinforce and with a strong business relationship. Japan is the third largest economic power in the world and stands out in the technology industry, which is an excellent economic ally for the entire European Union, and especially for Spain.