Japan and

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

have maintained official diplomatic relations since July 1970."Japan-Tonga Relations"
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 The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

and the Royal family of Tonga have developed a cordial and personal relationship over the years". Japan is one of only four countries to have an embassy in Nuku'alofa, whilst Tonga has an embassy in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. In early 2009, Japan became the fourth country to establish an embassy in Tonga (following Australia,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

). In March, Ambassador Yasuo Takase became the first resident ambassador of Japan in Tonga. He was also the first resident Japanese ambassador in any

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

n country. The opening of the embassy came in a context of increased Japanese development aid in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

State visits

In May 2009, Tongan Prime Minister Feleti Sevele was welcomed to Japan by Emperor

Akihito is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 7 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. He presided over the Heisei era, ''Heisei'' being an expression of achieving peace worldwide. B ...

for a regional discussion on aid. Taufaʻahau Tupou IV (King of Tonga from 1965 to 2006) visited Japan on seven occasions.

Trade

In 2013, Tonga's exports to Japan (consisting primarily in pumpkins and

tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...

) were worth JPY 146 million, while its imports (mainly machinery) were worth JPY 460 million. Japan is Tonga's largest export market.

Diplomatic missions

Japan has sent only bureaucratic diplomats as ambassadors to Tonga. On the other hand, however, one of the Tongan ambassadors is a member of the royal family, Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka (2010–2012).

References

External links

Embassy of Japan in Tonga

Embassy of Tonga in Japan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Japan-Tonga relations

Japan