Canadian-Japanese relations
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| Canada | Japan |
Canadian-Japanese relations are foreign relations between Canada and Japan. Diplomatic relations between both countries officially began in 1928 with the opening of the Japanese consulate in Ottawa. In 1929, Canada opened its Tokyo legation, the first in Asia;[1] and in that same year, Japan upgraded its Ottawa consulate to legation status.[2]
Created in 1929, Canada mission to Japan is Canada's oldest mission in Asia and third oldest non-Commonwealth mission after the United States and France. Canada has an embassy in Tokyo and three consulates -- in Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osaka. Japan has an embassy in Ottawa and four Consulates-General -- in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Both countries are full members of G8, OECD and APEC.
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[edit] Early contacts
Some Canadian-Japanese contacts predate this mutual establishment of permanent legations. The first known Japanese immigrant to Canada, Manzo Nagano, landed in New Westminster, British Columbia in 1877.[3]
Canadian missionaries of in Japan during the Meiji period were instrumental in modernizing and Westernizing Japan's educational system. role in introducing elements of traditional Western thought into Japanese educational fields. Canadians G. G. Cochran helped in founding Doshisha University in Kyoto, and Davidson McDonald helped in establishing Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo.[2]
In 1887, the sailing route for steamships between Yokohama and Vancouver was opened,[3] with vessels in the ocean service of the Canadian Pacific Railroad making regular voyages.[4] One of these Canadian ships, the RMS Empress of Australia and her captain, Samuel Robinson, RNR gaining international acclaim because of rescue efforts undertaken after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.[5]
From 1904-1905, Herbert Cyril Thacker of the Royal Canadian Field Artillery served in the field as a military attaché with the Japanese Army during the Russo-Japanese War.[6] He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class by the Japanese government for his services during the Russo-Japanese War.[7] He also received the Japanese War medal for service during that campaign.[6]
[edit] Diplomatic missions
The legation Canada opened in Tokyo in 1929 was its third outside the Commonwealth following Washington and Paris. That fact highlights the exceptional importance Canada placed on Japan as a hub for its diplomatic activities throughout Asia.[2] However, the reason for the legation's creation also had much to do with anti-Asian feeling in the Canadian province of British Columbia during the first half of the 20th Century. Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King was anxious to limit Japanese migration to Canada, saying "our only effective way to deal with the Japanese question is to have our own Minister in Japan to visa passports."[8].
The first Japanese Minister in Canada was Prince Iemasa Tokugawa, serving from 1929 to 1934. The first Canadian Minister in Japan was Sir Herbert Marler, serving from 1929 to 1936.[9]
Diplomatic ties were severed in 1941 with the start of the Pacific War; but Canadian representatives returned to Tokyo in 1946 in the wake of Japan’s unconditional surrender. Japan also opened a diplomatic office in Ottawa in 1951 for the preparation of the future resumption of diplomatic relations. Full restoration of Japanese-Canadian relations accompanied the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1952.[9]
The Canadian Legation in Tokyo was upgraded to an Embassy and Robert Mayhew was appointed as the first Canadian Ambassador to Japan after World War II. Japan also established an Embassy in Ottawa and Sadao Iguchi became the first Japanese Ambassador to Canada.[9]
Canada acted in various ways to assist Japan's re-entry into the international community. It was at Canada's initiative that Japan was admitted membership to the Colombo Plan conference that convened in Ottawa in 1954, the same year the bilateral Agreement Concerning Commerce was sealed. Canada supported Japan's inclusion in General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT); and when Japan entered GATT, Canada was one of only a small handful of nations who accorded it most-favored-nation status.[2]
Japan was nominated by, and had the backing of Canada when it joined the United Nations in 1956. Similarly, Canada demonstrated strong support for Japan's admission to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1963.[2]
[edit] Maturing process
The most notewworthy event which symbolized the restoration of the Canadian-Japonese relationship was the visit of Prince Akihito (the present Emperor) to Canada in 1953. The following year, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida exchanged visits.[9]
Since the 1950s, Japan and Canada have concluded a number of bilateral agreements concerning fishery, trade, aviation, postal service, atomic energy, and culture. There have been many exchange visits by both Japanese and Canadian Prime Ministers as well. After the 1960s, Prime Ministers Nobusuke Kishi, Hayato Ikeda, Kakuei Tanaka, Masayoshi Ohira, Zenko Suzuki, Yasuhiro Nakasone, Noboru Takeshita, Toshiki Kaifu, Tomiichi Murayama, Ryutaro Hashimoto, Keizo Obuchi, Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi visited Canada. Canadian Prime Ministers John Diefenbaker, Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark, Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, and Paul Martin visited Japan.[9]
During this period, Prime Minister Mulroney offered an apology in the House of Commons for the unjust treatment of Japanese-Canadians during World War II. As a response to Japanese Canadian internment, Prime Minister Mulroney and the National Association of Japanese Canadians’ President Art Miki signed the Redress Agreement to settle past historical issues in 1988.[9]
[edit] References
- ^ Ambassade du Japon au Canada: 80ième anniversaire des relations diplomatiques nippo-canadiennes.
- ^ a b c d e Foreign Ministry of Japan: Episodes in Japan-Canada Relations.
- ^ a b Ambassade du Japon au Canada: 80 années d'histoire, Contact initial'.
- ^ Musk, George. (1981). Canadian Pacific: The Story of the Famous Shipping Line, p. 5.
- ^ "Capt. Samuel Robinson, Who Won Fame For Rescue Work in Jap Quake, Dies," New York Times. September 7, 1958.
- ^ a b _____. (1922). Prominent People of the Maritime Provinces, p. 193.
- ^ L'Harmattan web site (in French)
- ^ Official history of the Canadian mission to Japan
- ^ a b c d e f Embassy of Japan in Canada: 80 Year History
[edit] See also
- Foreign relations of Canada
- Foreign relations of Japan
- Embassy of Japan in Ottawa
- Embassy of Canada in Tokyo
- Japantown, Vancouver
- Japanese diaspora
[edit] External links
- Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade about the relations with Japan
- Canadian embassy in Tokyo
- Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the relations with Canada
- Japanese embassy in Ottawas
- Japanese Consulate-General in Calgary
- Japanese Consulate-General in Montreal
- Japanese Consulate-General in Toronto
- Japanese Consulate-General in Vancouver
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