Japan-Brazil Relations

Basic Data
Diplomatic relations: Established in November 1895 with the signing of the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation. Immigration from Japan: Commenced with the 1908 voyage of the Kasato Maru. Japanese and Japanese descendants: Number of Japanese residing in Brazil: 61,527 (October 2007) Population of Japanese descent: 1.5 million (estimated) Number of Japanese-Brazilians working in Japan, 316,967 (December 2007). Trade with Japan (2007): Exports: $4,300 million (iron ore, fruit juice, coffee, aluminium, chicken, soy beans, pulp) Imports: $4,600 million (electrical and general machinery, transport machinery (vehicle)). Direct investment from Japan: $501 million (2007) Japan's economic cooperation: List of Exchange of Notes Loans: 326,500 million yen Grants: 1,955 million yen Technical cooperation: 97,700 million yen (2006)

Recent Visits by Eminent Persons

Japan to Brazil Year 1988 Name Prince Fumihito immigration) (eightieth anniversary of Japanese

1994 1995 November 1996 August

Foreign Minister Yohei Kono Princess Sayako (centennial of Japan-Brazil relations)

Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto

1997 June 1997 July

May- Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress

Minister of Labor Yutaka Okano Minister for Foreign Affairs Keizo Obuchi Prime Miniser Junichiro Koizumi

1998 June 2004 September 2006 May

Minister of Nakagawa

Agriculture,

Forestry

and

Fisheries

Shoichi

2006 June

Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Heizo Takenaka Minister of Nakagawa Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shoichi

2006 September 2007 May

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Toshikatsu Matsuoka Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Yoshihide Suga Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso

2007 August

2008 May

Minister of 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

2008 June

2008 July

June- Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari

Brazil to Japan: Year 1989 Name President Jose Sarney (Showa emperor's funeral)

1990

Foreign Minister President Fernando Collor ceremonies);

de

Francisco Mello (imperial

Rezek accession

1991 & 1992 Economic Minister Marcilio Marques Moreira (eminent persons conferences) 1993 Foreign Minister Fernando Planning Minister Alexis Stepanenko Henrique Cardoso

1995 May

Foreign Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia, Senator Jose Sarney (Inter Action Council) Finance Minister Pedro Malan Vice-President Marco Agriculture Minister Jose Eduardo de Andrade Vieira President Fernando Henrique Foreign Minister Luiz Felipe Industry and Commerce Minister Dorothea Planning Minister Jose Communications Minister Sergio Motta Maciel

1995 July 1995 November 1996 March

Cardoso, Lampreia, Woerneck, Serra,

1996 April 1997 May 1997 November 1998 November 1998 November 2002 May 2004 March 2005 May 2006 April

Chamber of Deputies President Luiz Eduardo Magalhes Planning Minister Antonio Kandir Social Security Minister Reinhold Stephanes

Agriculture and Supply Minister Francisco Srgio Turra

Foreign Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia

Foreign Minister Celso Lafer Foreign Minister Celso Amorim President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Foreign Minister Celso Amorim Development, Industry and Commerce Minister Luis Furlan

Communications Minister Helio Costa Education Minister Fernando Haddad 2007 March 2007 September 2008 January 2008 April Agriculture and Supply Minister Luis Carlos Guedes Pinto Tourism Minister Marta Suplicy

Chamber 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)

2008 July

Recent Trends
Traditional friendly relations, active role of Japanese-Brazilians, favorable image of Japan
(1) Active bilateral relation Japan and Brazil are realizing close bilateral dialogues in many fields, such as High level policy dialogue (in politics, economy), environment dialogue, consul conference (covering the issue of Brazilian residents in Japan) and economic cooperation. Recently, bilateral economic relations have been re-activated, and partnership advances in various fields such as iron and steel, pulp and energy. For example, the Brazilian government decided to adopt ISDB-T (Japanese system) as its digital TV system. Last year, with the initiative from the private sector, Wise-men Group on Strategic Economic Partnership Japan-Brazil was established and after holding two meetings, the group drew up a recommendation in which they identified steel and other metal industry, biofuel, energy resource development, automobile industry, forestry, investment in logistics infrastructure, and CDM, as feasible concrete sectors with the highest priority, for the revitalization of the strategic economic partnership between the two countries. The recommendation was handed to Prime Minister Koizumi and President Lula. Concerning Brazilian residents in Japan, they have been increasing in number dramatically since the 1990 revision of the Japan's Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, and the number has reached approximately 320,000 as of 2007. As their stay in Japan has extended over a long period, some problems such as social security, education, crimes have arisen. To deal with these problems, both governments are organizing working group meetings. (2) Largest Japanese descendent community overseas

In the 100 years since the arrival of the first group of migrants, immigrants from Japan and their descendants have played an active role in agriculture and a broad range of other fields in Brazilian society. Three Japanese Brazilian have become cabinet ministers, and recently, three members of the chamber of Deputies (lower house of the National Congress) are Japanese ethnic. On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Japanese Immigration to Brazil in 1998, Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi with members of the Japan-Brazil Parliamentary League visited Brazil to participate in a series of commemorative events. This year, the 100 anniversary of the Japanese Immigration to Brazil is celebrated as "Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange" (see next paragraph for details). In 2009, the 80th anniversary of the Japanese Immigration to Amazonian region will be commemorated. (3) Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange During the visit of former Prime Minister Koizumi to Brazil in 2004, at the summit meeting with President Lula, both leaders agreed to celebrate the Year 2008, the 100th anniversary of the Japanese immigration to Brazil, as the "Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange". Its purpose is to celebrate the 100th anniversary and also to promote future-oriented and wide-ranging exchange between the peoples of both countries. During this anniversary year, commemorative ceremonies have been held in both countries (Japan in April, Brazil in June) and events in various fields including culture, art, and sports have been and will be held. In June, H.I.H. Crown Prince Naruhito visited Brazil to participate in the commemorative ceremonies. Mutual visits, including VIP visits, have also been quite active in both countries. (4) Major projects in economic cooperation Usiminas (Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais) (producing 4.03 million tons of crude steel a year), Amazon aluminum refinery (processing 340,000 tons of aluminum a year), Senibra project (paper pulp resources development, producing 370,000 tons of pulp a year), Cia. Siderurgica Tubarao (producing 3 million tons of slab a year), Caraja iron mine development (producing 33 million tons of iron ore a year), Cerrado plain agricultural development (180,000 ha).

Telephone Conversation Between Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H. E. Mr. Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil (July 2010) Telephone Conversation Between Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, and H. E. Mr. Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil (May 2010) Meeting of the Joint Committee on Japanese-Brazil Cooperation in Science and Technology (May 2009) Dispatch of Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Japan on Climate Change (June 2008) Assistance by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security to the project "Sustained improvement of Human Security in the City of Sao Paulo through Humanization Actions in Public Schools, Health Services, and Communities" in the Federative Republic of Brazil (May 2008) Visit to Japan by General Juniti Saito, Commander of the Air Force of the Federative Republic of Brazil (April 2008) Ms. Dilma Rousseff, Chief-Minister of the Presidential Staff Office of the Federative Republic of Brazil, to Visit Japan (April 2008) Implementation of "Japan-Brazil Leaders' Exchange Program in the 21st Century: Invitation of Young Brazilian Leaders of Japanese Descent" (April 2008)

Conferment Ceremony of Commendation Certificates of the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the Occasion of the Japan-Brazil Exchange Year/100th Anniversary of Japanese Emigration to Brazil (April 2008) Commemorative Ceremony of Japan-Brazil Exchange Year/100th Anniversary of Japanese Immigration to Brazil (April 2008) Launching "The Special Participation Scheme for In-Service Teachers" in Volunteers for Japanese Communities Overseas (April 2008) Opinion Poll: 2008 Brazil Image of Japan Study (Summary) (April 2008) The Second Meeting of the Japan-Brazil Dialogue on the Environment (February 2008) Opening Event to Celebrate Japan-Brazil Year of Exchange and the 100th Anniversary of Japanese Emigration to Brazil - Night of Traditional Music of Japan and Brazil (January 2008) Mr. Taro Aso, Minister for Foreign Affairs, to Visit Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Mexico and Brazil (August 2007) Prof. Akiko Yamanaka, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, to Visit Brazil and Paraguay (September 2006) Visit to Japan by Brazilian Cabinet Mission (April 2006) Visit to Japan of His Excellency Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil (May 2005) Speech by Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Mr. Katsuyuki Kawai at the General Assembly of the Parliamentary Confederation of the Americas "Japan's Pororoca: Japanese Migration to Brazil and the Reverse Flow Back to Japan" (May 2005) Visit by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Latin America (Overview, Evaluation and Specific Results) (September 2004) Joint Communique between Japan and the Federative Republic of Brazil (September 2004) The Third Day of Prime Minister's Visit to Brazil (Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet Official Web Site) (September 2004) Address by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on the Latin American and Caribbean Policies - Toward a New Japan-Latin America and Caribbean Partnership - (September 2004) [English] [Japanese] [Spanish (PDF) ] [Portuguese (PDF) ] The Second Day of Prime Minister's Visits to Brazil (Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet Official Web Site) (September 2004) The First Day of Prime Minister's Visits to Brazil (Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet Official Web Site) (September 2004) Brazilian Coordinators for International Relations Pay Courtesy Call on Prime Minister (Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet Official Web Site) (September 2004) Symposium on the Brazilian Community in Japan (February 2003) Visit to Japan by Minister of Foreign Affairs Celso Lafer of the Federative Republic of Brazil (Overview and Evaluation) (May 2002) Visit to Japan of Mr. Luiz Felipe Palmeira Lampreia, Minister of External Relations of Brazil (November 25-29, 1998) (Open a New Window)

Embassy of Japan in Brasil Web Site

Consular Office of Japan in Recife Consulate-General of Japan in Belem Consulate-General of Japan in Curitiba Consulate-General of Japan in Manaus Web Site (Japanese only) Consular Office of Japan in Porto Alegre Consulate General of Japan in Rio de Janeiro Web Site Consulate General of Japan in Sao Paulo Web Site Embassy of Brazil in Japan Web Site

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