 | |
 Ireland |  Japan |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Irish Embassy, Tokyo | Japanese Embassy, Dublin |
Ireland–Japan relations (Irish:caidreamh idir Éirinn agus an tSeapáin;Japanese:アイルランドと日本との関係,romanized: Airurando to Nihon to no kankei) are thebilateral relations betweenIreland andJapan. Both nations are members of theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The oldest record of an Irish person visiting Japan dates back to July 1704, when an Irish sailor, Robert Jansen, was seized off the coast ofKyushu. Jansen and five companions had escaped from theDutch East India Company in thePhilippines and set sail in a small boat hoping to reach Canton (present dayGuangzhou). Initially, Jansen and the others were suspected of being Portuguese missionaries and were held until November 1704 before they were finally released and allowed to join a Dutch ship bound for the city of Batavia (present dayJakarta) in theDutch East Indies.[1][2]
The first contact between Ireland and Japan took place in December 1872 when members of theIwakura Mission (while visitingEngland) traveled toDublin which became a symbolically significant moment in the development of relations between the two countries.[3] Following theMeiji Restoration (1868), Irish men and women emigrated to Japan, making their mark in a variety of fields. Irish writerLafcadio Hearn (a.k.a. Koizumi Yakumo) immigrated to Japan and wrote several books about Japan.[3] In 1873, brothers John and Cornelius Collins (who originated fromCarrigaline,County Cork) helped found the Imperial Japanese Navy.[4] During theMeiji period, hundreds of Irish nuns and priests have lived, work and taught in Japan since they first arrived during that period. Many Irish nuns and priests also chose to remain in Japan duringWorld War II.[2]
In March 1957, Ireland and Japan officially established diplomatic relations. Japan was the first east-Asian country with which Ireland established diplomatic links.[3] That same year, both nations accredited ambassadors to each other capitals. In 1964, Japan upgraded its diplomatic legation in Dublin to an embassy. In 1973, Ireland opened a resident embassy inTokyo.[5] In September 1983, Irish PresidentPatrick Hillery became the first Irish head of state to visit Japan.[3] In 1985, Japanese Crown PrinceAkihito and CrownPrincess Michiko paid a visit to Ireland.[3] The Royal couple would later return to Ireland as Emperor and Empress of Japan in 2005.[5] In June 2013,Shinzō Abe became the first Japanese Prime Minister to visit Ireland.[6]
Both nations work closely together in theUnited Nations and have a shared commitment to democracy, human rights, freedom and justice, peace, the rule of law, and the eradication of poverty.[3] In 2017, both nations celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations.[7]
High-level visits from Ireland to Japan[5][8][9]
High-level visits from Japan to Ireland[5]
Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements, such as an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income (1974); an agreement on aworking holiday visa (2007); an agreement to further consolidate bilateral political, economic and cultural ties, and also to promote mutual understanding by strengthening contact and exchange between both peoples (2007); an agreement on social security (2011), and an agreement on visa exemption of 6 months for citizens of both countries (2016).[5][11]
In 2016, trade between Ireland and Japan totaled US$6.9 billion.[5] Ireland's main exports to Japan are optical instruments and medicines. Japan's main exports to Ireland are medicines and cars. Japan's investment to Ireland is in areas such as ICT, pharmaceutical, life-science and financial services. There are currently 80 Japanese companies investing and operating in Ireland.[5] There are currently 32 Irish companies operating in Japan. In July 2018, theEuropean Union (which includes Ireland) signed afree trade agreement with Japan.[12]
| Africa |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Americas | ||
| Asia | ||
| Europe | ||
| Oceania | ||
| Former | ||
| Multilateral relations | ||
| Diplomatic missions | ||
|  | |||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
