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Brazil–Japan relations are the current and historical international relations between
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
and
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. The diplomatic relations were officially established on 5 November 1895 with the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation signed in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Early relations were dominated by the Japanese immigration issues. The total number of Japanese immigrants reached 190,000 in the pre-World War II period. Now, more than 2 million Brazilians are of Japanese descent, making Brazil host to the largest Japanese community outside Japan. At the same time, Japan is host to the third largest Brazilian population, most being of Japanese origin. Both nations are members of the
G4 nations The G4 nations, comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan, are four countries which support each other's bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council. Unlike the G7, where the common denominator is the economy and long- ...
, G20 and
World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...
.


History

First contact between Brazil and Japan was through Portuguese explorers who first arrived to Japan in 1543 and got foreign control of the city of Nagasaki; 43 years after
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
founded its first colonies in Brazil. From 1543 to 1638, Portugal traded with Japan with stopovers in Brazil along the way, known as the
Nanban trade or the was a period in the history of Japan from the arrival of Europeans in 1543 to the first ''Sakoku'' Seclusion Edicts of isolationism in 1614. is a Japanese word borrowed from Chinese ''Nanman'', which had been used to designate people fr ...
. Many Japanese products were sold in Brazil and, during this time period, Portuguese traders sold Japanese slaves in Brazil. By 1638, Portuguese traders were no longer allowed to trade in Japan, however, trade continued between the Portuguese colony in
Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
. Soon afterwards, Japan entered a period of isolation. In September 1822, Brazil obtained its independence from Portugal. In October 1868, Japan entered the
Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
and began fostering diplomatic relations with several nations, after centuries of isolation. In 1895, Brazil and Japan signed a ''Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation''. In 1897, diplomatic missions were opened in each nations capitals, respectively. In June 1908, a ship from Japan carrying 790 Japanese migrants arrived to Brazil aboard the Kasato Maru; the first of many Japanese migrants to arrive to Brazil. Between 1908 and 1941, over 190,000 Japanese immigrated to Brazil searching for better opportunities in the South American nation.Japan, Brazil mark a century of settlement, family ties
/ref> During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Brazil broke diplomatic relations with Japan in January 1942 over the
Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
and allied itself with the Allies. As a result, thousands of families of Japanese origin in Brazil were arrested or deported as potential spies or collaborators. The Brazilian government also closed hundreds of Japanese schools, seized communications equipment and forced the relocation of Japanese who lived close to the coastline. Many in the Japanese-Brazilian community were tortured, and were forced to step on an image of Emperor
Hirohito , Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...
, who was then considered divine in Japan. Diplomatic relations between both nations were restored in 1952. Between 1953 and 1973, an additional 55,000 Japanese immigrated to Brazil. In July 1959, Prime Minister
Nobusuke Kishi was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960. He is remembered for his exploitative economic management of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in China in the 1930s, ...
became the first Japanese head of state to visit Brazil. In September 1976, Brazilian President
Ernesto Geisel Ernesto Beckmann Geisel (, ; 3 August 1907 – 12 September 1996) was a Brazilian Army officer and politician, who served as the 29th president of Brazil from 1974 to 1979, during the Brazilian military dictatorship. Born to German Lutheran ...
paid an official visit to Japan. Japanese Emperor
Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...
visited Brazil in 1997, his third visit to the country (his first and second visit were as Crown Prince in 1967 and 1978, respectively). In 1990, the Japanese government authorized the legal entry of Japanese and their descendants until the third generation in Japan. Since then, close to 300,000 Japanese-Brazilians have migrated to Japan and form the third-largest immigrant group in Japan, after Chinese and
Koreans Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As of 2021, an estimated 7.3 m ...
. In recent years, however, several have returned to Brazil after saving money in Japan to purchase property in Brazil and in 2016, the Brazilian-Japanese community totaled 180,000 members.Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Brazil
/ref> In 2015, both nations celebrated 120 years of diplomatic relations. In June 2019, Brazilian President
Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...
took part in G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. On 22 October 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro attended the enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor
Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following 2019 Japanese imperial transition, the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, ...
at the Imperial Palace in Japanese capital Tokyo. In March 2025, both countries announced a 5-year-plan to further strengthen economic and defensive ties together as a result of U.S president Donald Trump's tariffs.


High-level visits


Japan to Brazil


Brazil to Japan

File:Lula-Naruhito-2008.JPG, President Lula da Silva and Crown Prince Naruhito in Brasília; June 2008. File:Dilma Rousseff and Prince Fumihito 2015 (1).jpg, President Dila Rousseff and Prince Fumihito in Brasília; November 2015. File:Michel Temer e Shinzō Abe.jpg, President
Michel Temer Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia (; born 23 September 1940) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and writer who served as the 37th president of Brazil from 31 August 2016 to 1 January 2019. He took office after the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impe ...
and Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
in Tokyo; October 2016. File:2019 Foto de família dos Líderes do G20 - 48142586541.jpg, Prime Minister
Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving pri ...
and President
Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...
in Osaka; June 2019. File:03.05.2024 - Cerimônia oficial de chegada do Primeiro-Ministro do Japão, Fumio Kishida, por ocasião de sua visita ao Brasil (53695467797).jpg, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Presiden Lula da Silva in Brasília; May 2024.


Bilateral relations

Brazil and Japan have signed several bilateral agreements/treaties such as an Agreement on Technical Cooperation (1970); Cooperation Agreement in the field of Science and Technology (1984); Joint Program for Revitalization of Economic Relations (2005) and an Agreement on the facilitation of the issuance of multiple-entry Visas for holders of regular passports (2016). Brazil has been deeply influenced by Japan, on both an economic and humanitarian plateau, through various third parties such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Official Development Assistance (ODA) or the World Health Organization (WHO), and so on. Japan plays a significant role in fostering friendly relations and improving the climate for diplomatic activities. In order to improve relations, frequent ministerial talks have been held between the two countries. In 2014, the Brazilian president Rousseff stated that with this agreement, both countries will be able to expand high-level political and economic contacts. In the 2016 Japan-Brazil Summit Meeting, the Prime Minister stated that Japan attaches importance to its relationship with Brazil as an important partner with which it shares fundamental values such as liberty, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and with which it also cooperates in international fora. President Temer replied that Brazil has become a new country, and along with emphasizing Brazil's stability on the political and judicial fronts, he expressed his strong expectations of increased investment in Brazil by Japanese companies. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) sets to support open innovation by providing financing to potential companies that contribute to the improvement of Brazil and promote sustainability. Apart from direct relations with Brazil, Japan is involved in organizations such as Basic Human Needs (BHN) which makes sure people have the necessities of life. They also contribute to the United Nation Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) working in Rio de Janeiro to implement the Rio Declaration which intends to spur economic development. The Japanese work with the World Health Organization (WHO) in developing countries to educate people about the HIV virus and to help search for a cure. In addition, to support the protection of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest and combat illegal deforestation, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JICA) intends to begin phase two of the project that utilizes satellite images using artificial intelligence to predict where illegal deforestation may happen next.


Trade

In 2015, trade between Brazil and Japan totaled US$8 billion. Brazil's main exports to Japan include: iron ore, meat, non-ferrous metal, chemicals, iron and steel. Japan's main exports to Brazil include: automobiles, automotive parts, motors, metal working machinery. In 2016, Japanese direct investment in Brazil totaled US$1.4 billion. That same year, Japan ranked as the third largest trading partner for Brazil in
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
and the seventh in the world. Several well known multinational Japanese companies such as Daiso,
Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
,
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
,
Toshiba is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
and
Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
(among others) operate in Brazil. In 2007,
Japan Airlines Japan Airlines (JAL) is the flag carrier airline of Japan. JAL is headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport, Narita and Haneda Airport, Haneda airports, as well as secondary hubs in Osaka's Kansai ...
began purchasing
Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation. It develops and manufactures aircraft and aviation systems, and provides leasing, equipment, and technical support services. Embraer is the third largest producer of civil air ...
made airplanes for their company. The two countries are negotiating a free trade agreement, with possible announcement until the end of 2019, following the opening of the South American market,
Mercosur The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation ''Mercosur'' in Spanish and ''Mercosul'' in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full me ...
.


History

Before World War II, the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in Brazil opened stores, selling Japanese goods. The Brazil-Japan trade relations through these merchants amounted £35,933 in imports from Japan in 1913. Goods included ceramics, celluloid, toys, toothbrushes, fans, and buttons. Meanwhile, Brazil exported rock crystal and coffee to Japan totaled £2,931. In 1935 Japan sent a trade mission to Brazil that led to a great expansion of trade between 1936 and 1941, which led Brazilian exports to Japan jumped from £158,098 in 1935 to £1,683,106 in 1936 and £2,122,106 in 1937. After world War II, in 1949 a Japanese trade mission visited Brazil and reached an agreement covering US $35 million of foreign trade payments. In the early 1970s, two major trade missions visited Brazil, which led over 150 Japanese companies open branches in Brazil. Therefore, trade increased rapidly, reaching $2.1 billion in 1974. In the late 1970s, the economic relationship came to a new level, moving to large-scale economic cooperative projects based on agreements between the two governments. However, due to Brazilian debt crisis, the progress of closer economic relations slowed down in 1982. After that, the Brazilians of Japanese descents began to come back to Japan for work and education.


Trade volume

Japan and Brazil share a long term trade relationship. Japan's exports to Brazil have doubled and imports have tripled in decade. The main imports from Brazil is ores slag and ash, cereals, and meat, while the main exports to Brazil are vehicles other than railway, tramway, machinery, and electrical. In 2018, Brazil exported $4.46B to Japan, while Japan exported $4.12B to Brazil.   Though the share of Japan in Brazil's exports and Brazilian imports in Japan has dropped about 1.1%, during the last 23 years the exports of Japan to Brazil have increased at an annualized rate of 1.79%. There is much room for improving bilateral trading relationship to get mutual benefits. Japan and Brazil try to increase the trading relationship through various ways including discussion on trade bloc of meat and a specific trade area in 2018.


Direct investment

Japan's foreign direct investment (FDI) in Brazil is increasing since last century and more than 450 Japanese companies are operating in the Brazilian market. The amount of direct investment from Japan in 2018 was $2,203 million. Japanese investment focuses on the manufacturing sector. Brazil occupies the 10th position in the rank of Japan's FDI. To foster the bilateral trade and FDI, the Brazil-Japan Economic Agreement plays the key role.


Culture

Japanese cultural imports such as anime, video games, food, films, music (
J-pop J-pop (often stylized in all caps; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in trad ...
) have had a significant impact in
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a
martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...
that is a variation of the Japanese martial art
jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...
. It was first developed around 1925 by two Brazilian brothers after one of the brothers was taught
Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ...
judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
by a Japanese judoka in 1917. BJJ eventually came to be its own defined combat sport through the innovations, practices, and adaptation of Gracie jiu-jitsu and judo, and has become one of the essential martial arts for modern MMA.


Public perception of relations

In 2013, due to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ commissions, a private surveying agency in Brazil conduct a public opinion poll on the image of Japan in Brazil. Interviews show that 78% of the respondents believed that Japan and Brazil had “friendly” or “rather friendly” relations. In addition, 84% expected an increase of the importance of Japan for Brazil in the future. With regard to Japan's commitment to global issues, Brazilians recognized such areas as "environmental protection" (42%), "sustainable society" (32%) and "support for disaster prevention" (31%). A survey published in 2013 by BBC News showed that Brazil is one of the most pro-Japan countries in the world. A dominant negative perception against Brazil on Japan's part could not be proven. According to the survey, 71% of Brazilians view Japan's influence positively and only 10% do otherwise. In Japan, 40% of its people view Brazil's influence positively and 3% negatively. Most respondents didn't have an opinion on how favourable or adverse Brazilian influence was in their country.


Resident diplomatic missions

;Of Brazil *
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
(Embassy) *
Hamamatsu is a Cities of Japan, city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. In September 2023, the city had an estimated population of 780,128 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, with a population density of over the t ...
(Consulate-General) *
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...
(Consulate-General) ;Of Japan *
Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...
(Embassy)Embassy of Japan in Brazil (in Japanese and Portuguese)
/ref> *
Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...
(Consulate-General) *
Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...
(Consulate-General) *
Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...
(Consulate-General) *
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
(Consulate-General) *
São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
(Consulate-General) *
Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...
(Consulate) *
Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...
(Consular Office) File:Brazil Embassy @ Aoyama (11495420365).jpg, Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo File:Prédio dos consulados do Brasil e do Peru.jpg, Consulate-General of Brazil in Tokyo File:Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Hamamatsu.jpg, Consulate-General of Brazil in Hamamatsu File:Shirakawa No.8 Building 20150801-01.JPG, Consulate-General of Brazil in Nagoya File:Consulado-Geral Japão Rio de Janeiro.jpg, Building hosting the Consulate-General of Japan in Rio de Janeiro


See also

*
Brazilians in Japan There is a significant community of Brazilians in Japan, consisting largely but not exclusively of Japanese Brazilians, Brazilians of Japanese descent. Brazilians with Japanese descent are commonly known as Nikkei Brazilians or Brazilian Japanes ...
*
Brazilian schools in Japan are schools that specifically cater to Brazilians in Japan, Brazilians living in Japan. Many students who attend such schools are , or children who do not attend public schooling. This is either due to parents wanting their children to attend sc ...
*
Japanese Brazilians are Brazilians, Brazilian citizens who are nationals or naturals of Japanese people, Japanese ancestry or Japanese immigrants living in Brazil or Japanese people of Brazilian ancestry. Japanese immigration to Brazil peaked between 1908 and 1960 ...
* Japanese community of São Paulo * Japanese School of Manaus


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brazil-Japan relations
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...