Mexican-Japanese Relations

Mexico was part of the Spanish Empire under the name of Viceroyalty of New Spain , under the control of which there was a trade route between Manila and Acapulco . Through this trade route, the Spanish galleons traded with neighboring countries, including Japan. Japanese merchant ships with goods on board arrived in Manila to trade with the Spanish government ^[1] . From Manila, Spanish ships transported Japanese goods to Acapulco, then delivered cargo to the port of Veracruz , and from there the goods were delivered by ship to Spain. In the middle of 1500, Spanish Jesuits, many of whom were born in New Spain, began to arrive in Japan to spread Christianity . In 1597, a prominent Japanese military leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi banned the preaching of Christianity and ordered all missionaries to leave Japan. Several Spanish Jesuits did not leave and were executed in Nagasaki ^[2] .

In 1609, a Spanish galleon called "San Francisco" crashed near the village of Otaki , on the way from Manila to Acapulco. Japanese fishermen saved 370 people, among the survivors was the new Spanish Governor of the Philippines, Rodrigo de Vivero. In Japan, Rodrigo de Vivero went to Tokyo , where he met with representatives of the government of the country, which resulted in the establishment of direct trade relations between Japan and the Spanish Empire. After spending some time in Japan, Rodrigo de Vivero returned to Acapulco on a new ship built in Japan under the name San Buenaventura, with a Japanese crew on board. In Mexico City, de Viveiro met with the Vice-King of New Spain, Luis de Velasco y Castilla, and announced his contact with the Japanese authorities. In March 1611, Viceroy Velasco y Castilla ordered the sending of diplomats from Acapulco to Japan in order to thank the government of this country for helping Governor Rodrigo de Vivero. The delegation headed to Japan on the ship, San Buenaventura, along with gifts on board, among which were watches made in Madrid. The Japanese saw the watch for the first time in their lives ^[2] .

On November 30, 1888, Mexican politician Mathias Romero and Japanese Foreign Minister Mutsu Munemitsu signed the Treaty of Friendship, Trade and Shipping. This agreement confirmed the diplomatic recognition of both countries, their right to carry out commercial relations with each other. In addition, this agreement was to be the first to further expand trade and economic relations between the countries. In May 1942, Mexico declared war on the Axis Countries , which included Japan, and thus entered World War II on the side of the Anti-Hitler Coalition . The 201st Fighter Squadron, a Mexican aviation unit, fought against Japanese pilots in the Battle of Luzon in the Philippines . A few years after the end of World War II, Mexican-Japanese relations were restored ^[3] .

In April 2005, Japan and Mexico signed a free trade agreement. In 2016, trade between countries amounted to 21 billion US dollars ^[4] . Most of the country's trade is related to the supply of agricultural products, alcohol and cars. Between 2005 and 2012, Japanese companies invested more than 12 billion US dollars in the Mexican economy , mainly aimed at developing the automotive industry ^[5] .