Historic Events in Japan-Mexico Relations

The history of relations between Japan and Mexico is one of shared and conflicting economical and political interests. This rule also applies to diplomatic relations between the two nations, which stretch back 120 years. Mexico and Japan may be poles apart, but both are countries of deep-rooted traditions that have always been sympathetic to one another. Over the decades, a series of common interests have strengthened the ties between them. In the case of Japan, the search for new markets led it to Mexico’s door, which was subsequently opened to Japanese immigrants. Japan was also interested in Mexico’s natural resources and, as a neighbor of the United States, our geopolitical situation conferred us strategic importance from a military perspective prior to World War II and in terms of trade with the United States following the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (nafta). From Mexico’s standpoint, Japan was —and continues to be— a rich source of cutting-edge technology and, although we may choose to deny it, an alternative to our increasingly dangerous dependence on the United States, not to mention a gateway to the Asia-Pacific region and all its untapped potential. It is in this context that the author feels it necessary to acquaint the reader with the historic events that, to a large extent, have laid the foundations of the relationship currently enjoyed by Mexico and Japan, which is based on mutual trust and friendship. As the acclaimed Uruguayan diplomat Héctor Gros Espiell wrote in De diplomacia e historia, “Without an awareness of history, a people cannot truly constitute themselves as such, fight to exercise their right to self-determination and form a State.”