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Japan–Peru relations

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Japan–Peru relations are the historical and bilateral ties between Japan and the Republic of Peru. Both countries are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Forum of East Asia–Latin America Cooperation, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations.

Japan–Peru relations
Map indicating locations of Japan and Peru

Japan
Peru
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Japan, LimaEmbassy of Peru, Tokyo

History

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Early relations

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Early knowledge of Japan and Peru would have been through Spanish merchants who traded via the Manila Galleon from Acapulco, Mexico and Manila, Philippines as well as through Spanish missionaries. In Manila, the Spanish traded with Japanese merchants and brought their products to Spanish America (as Peru was part of the Spanish Empire at the time). In 1821, Peru declared its independence from Spain and in October 1868, Japan entered the Meiji period and began fostering diplomatic relations with several nations, after decades of isolation.

19th century

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1949 photograph of the Sakura Maru's immigrants to Peru[1]

Prior to establishing formal diplomatic relations; in June 1872, Japan and Peru had a diplomatic incident when a Peruvian ship called the María Luz set sail from Macau to Callao carrying 232 Chinese indentured labourers for Peruvian plantations. On the way to Peru, the ship encountered a severe storm which caused some damage to the ship and called on the Japanese port of Yokohama for repairs. At port, one Chinese laborer managed to escape and jumped to shore. Once on shore, the laborer complained about severe mistreatment and asked for protection and the rescue of his fellow laborers on board. After a second laborer escaped from the ship, Japanese authorities boarded the ship and discovered that the Chinese nationals were being confined against their will under inhumane conditions. Many had been kidnapped, and most had no idea of the location of their final destination. The Japanese courts charged the captain, Ricardo Herrera, of the María Luz with wrongdoing and in violation of international law and set free the Chinese nationals.[2] A year later, in 1873, Japan and Peru formally established diplomatic relations by signing a Treaty of Friendship and Navigation.[3]

In 1899, 790 Japanese migrants, aboard the Sakuramaru arrived to Peru. Most of the migrants came to the country to work on the various plantations.[3][4] By 1936, 23,000 Japanese migrants immigrated to Peru.[4]

20th century

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Furuya Incident

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As a result of the large-scale Japanese immigration to Peru, the Peruvian government had to implement a limit to the number of immigrants. However, this was not implemented. As a result, a monopoly among the 22,560 Japanese nationals, accounting for 46.7% of all foreigners in the country,[5] began to develop in contrast to Peruvian businesses, leading to tension between Peruvians and the Japanese, as the former started to develop a dislike for the latter which peaked in the years preceding World War II. Japanese support for the Manchurian Incident and their athletes at the 1936 Summer Olympics did not assist in their situation.[6]

The Japanese legation at the time had great authority over its subjects at the time, having the capacity to forcibly remove them if necessary.[7] Nevertheless, it attempted to negotiate with the Peruvian government when it started cracking down on Japanese businesses due to their unsanitary conditions. Tokijiro Furuya, a Japanese national, managed to negotiate with Peruvian authorities and resist attempts by the Japanese Central Society so that his business could remain open.[6] The latter had been part of an attempt to try and improve the public image of the Nikkei among nationals, also cracking down on unruly businesses and attempting to avoid a monopoly or the idea among locals of the existence of one.[6]

After the Japanese Consul Shun Sato, who opposed the situation of Furuya's businesses, personally wrote a deportation request to Peruvian authorities, he received an answer by the Ministry of the Interior allowing Furuya's deportation.[7] As a result, a crowd arrived at Furuya's house and forcibly removed him, taking him to Callao to be deported to Japan aboard the Ginyo Maru.[6] The event left an unfavorable view of the Japanese by both the Peruvian government and press. The former expected the Consul to resign due to his poor handling of the situation, which did not happen.[6]

1940 Lima riots

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In 1940, a series of race riots against the businesses of Japanese nationals took place, as their businesses were looted and the Japanese themselves attacked. The district of Jesús María was notably targeted due to its larger Japanese population, with the entire event causing an estimated loss of S/.7 million.[6] The 1940 Lima earthquake took place during the events, worsening the situation.

World War II and aftermath

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During World War II, Peruvians sacked, looted, and burned more than 600 Japanese homes and businesses in Lima, killing 10 Japanese and injuring dozens.[4] In January 1942, Peru broke diplomatic relations with Japan over the Attack on Pearl Harbor.[8] Soon afterwards, Peru deported over 1,700 Japanese Peruvians to the United States where they were placed in internment camps after growing pressure from the U.S. to secure Latin America from "dangerous enemy aliens."[4] After the war, Peru re-established diplomatic relations with Japan and in 1959, Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi paid an official visit to Peru.[3] In 1961, Peruvian President Manuel Prado Ugarteche became the first Peruvian and Latin-American head of state to visit Japan.[9]

Presidency of Alberto Fujimori

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Monument to the Japanese embassy hostage crisis in Lima

In July 1990, Alberto Fujimori became the first Peruvian President of Japanese origin. Some months after President Fujimori's election, several Japanese and Peruvians of Japanese origin were assaulted, kidnapped or killed by Peru's two main guerrilla groups, the Shining Path and the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement.[10] In 1992, President Fujimori paid a visit to Japan.[11]

On 17 December 1996, 14 members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement stormed the Japanese Ambassador's residence in Lima as they were celebrating Japanese Emperor Akihito's 63rd birthday, and took hostage more than 400 diplomatic, governmental and military officials. The insurgents believed that President Fujimori would be in attendance at the party.[12] When they discovered that he was not present, they demanded from the Peruvian government the release of 300 jailed comrades.[13] The incident became known as the Japanese embassy hostage crisis and lasted until 22 April 1997 when Peruvian commandos entered the residence and killed all 14 insurgents. During the siege, supreme court judge Carlos Giusti died in the operation and two soldiers were killed. Japanese Prime Minister, Ryutaro Hashimoto, thanked Peru for the release of the hostages[14]

In November 2000, President Fujimori flew to Brunei to attend the 12th APEC summit. After the summit, he flew to Japan and faxed his resignation of the Presidency as a corruption scandal was collapsing his government. In Japan, Fujimori requested and was granted Japanese citizenship based on his origins. The Peruvian government, under President Alejandro Toledo requested Japan to extradite Fujimori to face 20 criminal charges, however, Japan refused to extradite one of its citizens, which harmed relations between both nations. In 2006, Fujimori left Japan and flew to Mexico and to Chile where he was arrested; he had been trying to return to Peru to run for President.[15]

In the 1990s, Japan changed their immigration law and allowed the return of "Dekasegi" (people of Japanese origin born abroad) to return to Japan and receive permanent residency. Approximately 60,000 Peruvians of Japanese descent left the country for Japan, making them the second largest Latin American community in Japan (after Brazil).[16]

21st century

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In 2013, Japan and Peru celebrated 140 years of diplomatic relations.[17] From 2017 to 2021, the embassy's building, a traditional building in Jesús María, was revamped during a five-year period.[18][19][20]

High-level visits

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe attending the 28th APEC Summit in Peru hosted by Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.
High-level visits from Japan to Peru[3]
High-level visits from Peru to Japan[3]

Bilateral relations

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Japan and Peru have signed several bilateral agreements/treaties such as a Trade and Financial Agreement (1949); Agreement on the elimination of visas (1971); Technical Cooperation Agreement (1979); Cooperation Agreement on Agriculture Development (1987); Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments (2008); and an Agreement on Japanese donations on the protection of Peruvian Archeological sites (2016).[22]

Trade

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In 2013, trade between Japan and Peru totaled US$3.5 billion.[23] Japan's main exports to Peru include automobiles, auto parts, tires and steel; ane Peru's main exports to Japan include copper, fish meal, silver and zinc.[23] That same year, Japanese direct investment in Peru totaled US$238 million. Several well known multinational Japanese companies such as Honda, Sony, Toshiba and Toyota (among others) operate in Peru. In 2010, Japan and Peru signed an Economic Partnership Agreement.[24] Both nations were party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Japanese cultural and media exports to Peru include anime, J-pop, video games, language education, and food, all of which have had a significant impact on many young Peruvians.

Resident diplomatic missions

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See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Centenario de la inmigracion Japonesa al Peru; 1899-1999 (in Spanish). Lima: Asociación Peruano Japonesa. 1999. p. 73 – via Japan International Cooperation Agency.
  2. ↑ El Perú contra el Imperío del Sol Naciente (in Spanish)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Reseña Histórica: Japón-Perú (in Spanish)". Archived from the original on 2017-12-28. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Japanese-Peruvians-Reviled and Respected: The Paradoxial Place of Peru's Nikkei". Archived from the original on 2018-09-15. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  5. ↑ Kunimoto, Iyo (1979). Kojima, Reiya (ed.). 「戦前期における中南米移民と排日運動」『日本帝国主義と東アジア』 (in Japanese). アジア経済研究所.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 DuMontier, Benjamin John (2018). Between Menace and Model Citizen: Lima's Japanese-Peruvians, 1936-1963 (in Spanish). University of Arizona. pp. 90–95. hdl:10150/628046.
  7. 1 2 日本人ペルー移住史・ペルー国における日系人社会 (in Japanese). 在ペルー日系人社会実態調査委員会. 1969.
  8. ↑ Novak, Fabián (2004). Las relaciones entre el Perú y Alemania (1828–2003) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Lima: Fondo Editorial PUCP. ISBN 978-9972-42-634-6.
  9. ↑ "Reseña Histórica (in Spanish)". Archived from the original on 2014-11-23. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  10. ↑ 80,000 Uneasy People, All Prisoners of Peru Crisis
  11. ↑ Japon Fujimori, de Visita (in Spanish)
  12. ↑ "How Peruvian Hostage Crisis Became Trip Into the Surreal (Published 1997)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05.
  13. ↑ Peru officially silent on hostage crisis
  14. ↑ "Hostages freed as troops storm Lima embassy". The Guardian. 1997-04-23. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25.
  15. ↑ Peru's Fugitive Ex-President Is Arrested in Chile
  16. ↑ Los Latinos son el Segundo Grupo más Grande de Immigrantes en Japón (in Spanish)
  17. ↑ Japan-Peru Summit Meeting
  18. ↑ "Visita a la Obra de la Nueva Sede de la Embajada del Japón en el Perú (30 de mayo)". Embajada del Japón en el Perú. 2019-06-06.
  19. ↑ "在ペルー日本国大使館の移転について". Embajada del Japón en el Perú.
  20. ↑ "Restricción temporal en los trámites consulares por el traslado de la Oficina de la Embajada del Japón en el Perú". Embajada del Japón en el Perú.
  21. 1 2 "Princesa Kako visita el país". El Peruano. 2023-11-04.
  22. ↑ Acuerdos Bilaterales (in Spanish)
  23. 1 2 Japan-Peru Relations (Basic Data)
  24. ↑ Joint Statement on the Conclusion of Negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and Peru
  25. ↑ "Embassy of Japan in Lima (in Japanese and Spanish)". Archived from the original on 2017-11-05. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  26. ↑ Embassy of Peru in Tokyo (in Japanese and Spanish)
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