Japan–Portugal relations

Japan–Portugal relations are the current and historical diplomatic, cultural and trade relations between Japan and Portugal. The history of relations between the two nations goes back to the mid-16th century, when Portuguese sailors first arrived in Japan in 1543, and diplomatic relations officially restarted in the 19th century with the Treaty of Peace, Amity and Commerce.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Japan, blown ashore the Ōsumi Archipelago, in the Tanegashima island. During the 16th century, upon first contact with the Japanese, Firearms and other technological advancements were introduced, leading to mercantilism, known as Nanban trade, having subsequently shaped the unification of Japan and economic development during the Sengoku and early Edo periods. The Portuguese legacy in Japan, among many, includes depictions of the East and West in Nanban art, with subsequent influences in gastronomy, such tempura, in language, reflected in several dozen Portuguese loanwords in the Japanese language, geography, religion and everyday culture. The Portuguese heritage in Japan is still present in the consciousness of Japanese society today.

Both nations are members of the World Trade Organization. Since 2014 Japan has had associate observer status in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. In 2016, 440 Japanese citizens were registered in Portugal and 589 Portuguese were registered in Japan.