The Embassy of Poland in Tokyo is the main diplomatic mission representing Poland in Japan.
History
Japan and Poland first established
diplomatic relations
Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern Diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...
in 1919, shortly following the establishment of the
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
, which was the first Polish sovereign state after centuries of partitions. Amidst the context of the Polish diplomatic service being rebuilt in a difficult and corrupt environment, there was some difficulty with appointing the first envoy for the planned Polish legation. In 1920, , then envoy to Siberia, was designated minister plenipotentiary to Japan. Although he had earlier suggested the establishment of such a post to complement his activities, he was rather surprised to learn of his appointment, which was not helped by the fact that he had been notified about it two weeks after all other involved parties. Despite wondering about the broadness of the territory he now had jurisdiction over, he went to Japan to fulfill his duties.
In 1937, the legation was upgraded to an embassy, with
Tadeusz Romer
Tadeusz Ludwik Romer (6 December 1894 in Antanašė near Rokiškis - 23 March 1978 in Montreal) was a Polish diplomat and politician. Life and career
He was a personal secretary to Roman Dmowski in 1919. Later he joined the Polish Ministry of For ...
, the newly appointed envoy, becoming the first ambassador of Poland to Japan. However, the outbreak of
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 ...
brought a number of challenges to the mission. Despite German pressure, the embassy was able to stay open for some time, and Romer used it to take care of Polish refugees in Japan and facilitate travel to safer countries. Finally, the embassy had to close in 1941.
After the declaration of
martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland () existed between 13 December 1981 and 22 July 1983. The Polish United Workers' Party, government of the Polish People's Republic drastically restricted everyday life by introducing martial law and a military junta in an a ...
in 1981, Ambassador escaped from the embassy and successfully sought asylum in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, citing the use of military force against civilians as the reason for his defection. In 1995, a competition was held to design what wound become the current complex, with Ingarden & Ewý Architects winning. They used a design that aimed to balance the restraints of Japanese architectural laws and safety concerns as well as beauty, uniqueness and open spaces, with the new embassy opening on 30 May 2001.
During the
2020 Olympic Games
The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...
* Office of Politics and Economics
** Department of Consular Affairs
* Office of Commerce and Investment
* Office of Finance and Administration
* Defense Attaché
*
Polish Institute
The Polish Institutes is a network of cultural diplomatic missions reporting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland. , there were 27 of them.
Honorary consulates of Poland in Japan
There are two Polish Honorary Consulates in Japan one in
Kobe
Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
and one in
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui has b ...
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 ...
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...