Diplomatic relations are maintained between

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 ...

and

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

, a small

island country An island country, island state, or island nation is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. Approximately 25% of all independent countries are island countries. Island countries are historically ...

in the western

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

that was once a Japanese colony. There is a Japanese embassy on the Palauan island of

Koror Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition of ...

and a Palauan embassy in

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 ...

History

The bilateral ties between the two countries originated in 1920, when Japan assumed control over the island colonies of the

German colonial empire The German colonial empire () constituted the overseas colonies, dependencies, and territories of the German Empire. Unified in 1871, the chancellor of this time period was Otto von Bismarck. Short-lived attempts at colonization by Kleinstaat ...

in the Pacific which included present-day

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of approximately 2,000 small islands in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: Maritime Southeast Asia to the west, Poly ...

, the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

, the

Northern Marianas The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States consisting of 14 islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.Lin, Tom C.W.Ameri ...

and

. The islands became part of the

South Seas Mandate The South Seas Mandate, officially the Mandate for the German Possessions in the Pacific Ocean Lying North of the Equator, was a League of Nations mandate in the " South Seas" given to the Empire of Japan by the League of Nations following W ...

under the League of Nations and Koror was designated as the administrative center of the mandate. Under Japanese rule, Palau experienced significant development of its fishing, agriculture and mining industry. Palau achieved self-sufficiency to some degree during the period. Palau also served as a Japanese military base 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 ...

. Japanese administration over the islands ended following the defeat of Japan in the World War II. The South Seas Mandate became the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...

and it was administrated by 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 ...

. Japan recognized the independence of Palau from the United States on 1 October 1994 and established formal relations with Palau during the same year on November 2. The Japanese embassy in Koror opened in 1999.

Cultural relations

As a former Japanese colony, Palau was influenced by Japanese culture and as a result, many older residents speak Japanese and it is an official language in the state of

Angaur , or in Palauan, is an island and state in the Island country, island nation of Palau. History Angaur was traditionally divided among some eight clans. Traditional features within clan areas represent important symbols giving identity to fam ...

. Contemporary Palauan has many words derived from

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

such as "daijobu", "okyaku", "denki" and "senkyo". Local cuisine has also been influenced by the Japanese.

Economic relations

Palau-based tuna shipping companies mainly export sashimi grade tuna to Japan. Licensing of fishing vessels from Japan remains a source of foreign exchange between Palau and Japan. Palau has supported Japan's

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

rights in the past but has since abandoned its support in June 2010 in favor of catch quota proposal being considered by the

International Whaling Commission The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a specialised regional fishery management organisation, established under the terms of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) to "provide for the proper conservation ...

Johnson Toribiong Johnson Toribiong (born 22 July 1946) is a Palauan attorney and politician. Toribiong became the president of Palau, following his victory in the November 2008 election, and left office in 2013. Before 2020 elections, Toribiong has run fo ...

asserted that his country's policy change won't affect Japan–Palau relations and claimed that Japan is "mature enough" to accept Palau's stand on whaling.

Security relations

Japan has sent the Japan Mine Action Service to Palau to clear World War II bombs sitting dormant in Palau's seabed. The clearing operations started in May 2013 and will take about a year and half.

Tourism

Tourism is one of Palau's main industries, with the majority of its tourists coming from Japan and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

References

External links

Embassy of Japan in Palau

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

Bilateral relations of Palau