Brazil–Japan relations are the current and historical international relations between Brazil and Japan. The diplomatic relations were officially established on 5 November 1895 with the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation signed in Paris. 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.Lasting legacy of Brazil's Japanese 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, G20 and World Trade Organization.
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 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. Many Japanese products were sold in Brazil and, during this time period, Portuguese traders sold Japanese slaves in Brazil.The rarely, if ever, told story of Japanese sold as slaves by Portuguese traders By 1638, Portuguese traders were no longer allowed to trade in Japan, however, trade continued between the Portuguese colony in Macau. 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 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
During World War II, Brazil broke diplomatic relations with Japan in January 1942 over the Attack on Pearl Harbor 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, who was then considered divine in Japan.Brazil's Japanese community gets apology for abuse 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 became the first Japanese head of state to visit Brazil.História de 120 Anos de Amizade Japão-Brasil (1951–2000) (in Portuguese) In September 1976, Brazilian President Ernesto Geisel paid an official visit to Japan. Japanese Emperor Akihito 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.A Japanese Exodus in Reverse; Brazilians Work Their Way Back to the Ancestral Home 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
In 2015, both nations celebrated 120 years of diplomatic relations.
In June 2019, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro took part in G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. On 22 October 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro attended the enthronement ceremony of Japanese Emperor Naruhito 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 YearName2003Ambassador on Special Mission Takami Eto (Inaugural Ceremony of President Lula)2004Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi2006Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shoichi Nakagawa Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Heizo Takenaka2007Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Toshikatsu Matsuoka Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshihide Suga Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso2008Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Masatoshi Wakabahashi His Imperial Highness Crown Prince (Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange/Centennial of Japanese Immigration to Brazil) Japan-Brazil Parliamentary League Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari2010Former Prime Minister Taro Aso2011Ambassador on Special Mission Taro Aso (Inaugural Ceremony of President Rousseff) Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeaki Matsumoto2012State Minister for National Policy Motohisa Furukawa Minister for Foreign Affairs Koichiro Gemba2013Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Toshimitsu Motegi Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshitaka Shindo Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida2014Her Imperial Highness Takamado Prime Minister Shinzo Abe2015Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Akishino (120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Brazil)2016Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (Closing Ceremony for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games)2017Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso (Opening Ceremony for Japan House São Paulo)2018His Imperial Highness Crown Prince (8th World Water Forum)2018Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Kono2018Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako of Akishino (110th Anniversary of the Japanese immigration)2019Ambassador on Special Mission Taimei Yamaguchi (Inaugural Ceremony of President Bolsonaro)2025Her Imperial Highness Princess Kako of Akishino (130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Brazil)
Brazil to Japan +YearName2002Foreign Minister Celso Lafer2004Foreign Minister Celso Amorim2005President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Foreign Minister Celso Amorim Finance Minister Antonio Palocci Agriculture and Supply Minister Roberto Rodrigues Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Minister Luis Furlan Mines and Energy Minister Dilma Rousseff Tourism Minister Walfrido Guia Central Bank President Hennque Meirelles2006Foreign Minister Celso Amorim Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Minister Luis Furlan Communications Minister Helio Costa Education Minister Fernando Haddad2007Agriculture and Supply Minister Luis Carlos Guedes Pinto Tourism Minister Marta Suplicy2008Chamber of Deputies President Arlindo Chinaglia Junior Chief-Minister of the Presidential Staff Office Dilma Vana Rousseff (Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange/Centennial of Japanese Immigration) President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Foreign Minister Celso Amorim (outreach meeting of G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit)2009Science and Technology Minister Sérgio Rezende2010Social Security Minister Eduardo Gabas Labor Minister Carlos Lupi2011Foreign Minister Antônio de Aguiar Patriota2012Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Minister Fernando Damata Pimentel National Integration Minister Fernando Bezerra Coelho, Finance Minister Guido Mantega Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Minister Fernando Damata Pimentel2013Environmental Minister Izabella Monica Vieira Teixeira Planning, Budget and Management Minister Miriam Belchior2015National Integration Minister Gilberto Magalhães Occhi (UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction) Agriculture, Livestock and Supply Minister Kátia Abreu Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira2016President Michel Temer Transport Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Maurício Quintella, Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Minister Blairo Maggi, Mines and Energy Minister Fernando Bezerra Coelho Filho, Sports Minister Leonardo Picciani2017Institutional Security Cabinet Minister, Sérgio Etchegoyen2018President of the Senate Eunicio Lopes de Oliveira2018Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes2019Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina (G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting) Central Bank President Roberto Campos Neto (G20 Finance and Central Bank Governors Meeting) Mines and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque, Environmental Minister Ricardo Salles (G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth) President Jair Bolsonaro, Institutional Security Office Minister Augusto Heleno (G20 Osaka Summit 2019) President Jair Bolsonaro, Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo (Ceremony of Enthronement)2025President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (State visit)
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