Iran–Japan relations (, ) are diplomatic relations between Iran and Japan. They were officially established in 1926 during the Pahlavi era. With the exception of World War II, the two countries have maintained a relatively friendly, strong, and strategic relationship throughout history.
Japan's foreign policy and investment with Iran have been significantly influenced by its historically secure demand for energy supplies. Iran is Japan's third most important oil supplier after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Japan and Iran are also cooperating in regional diplomatic relations in the Middle East, such as the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The trade balance between Japan and Iran has a significant weight on Iran, and Japan exports automobiles, electrical products, important petroleum products and petrochemical products.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Iran in June 2019 to try to mediate between Iran and the United States.
History
Pre Meiji Restoration - 1868
Present-day Iran and Japan were known to have had direct trade links since at least the 7th century, but new testing on a piece of wood—first discovered in the 1960s—suggests broader ties, Japanese researchers said. Infrared imaging revealed previously unreadable characters on the wood—a standard writing surface in Japan before paper—that named a Persian official living in the country. Cultural influence from the Iranian-speaking Central Asia at the golden age of the Silk Road Buddhism found itself as far as Japan through the role of China.Sarah M. Nelson, (1993, pp. 243–258) Japan and Iran (Persia) have had almost no direct interaction because of the geographical distance until the 19th century since the dawn of history. Prior to the Meiji Restoration, the two countries were only in a relationship where Iran-influenced works of art were brought to Japan via the Silk Road. As a few exceptions, the Persians who visited Japan during the Tenpyo era in the Nara period are described in the court-commissioned history book Shoku Nihongi. In 736 (Tenpyo 8), Nayo, a deputy envoy to China, returned to Japan with three Chinese and one Persian, and had an audience with Emperor Shomu. This was the period during which coincided with the late rule of Fujiwara's four children in Japan. The Persian, recorded under the Chinese name Lee Jin-hee, has been awarded a rank, but his whereabouts are unknown. In 2016, it was revealed that there was a Daigaku-ryō dormitory official (at the time of 765) called Hashi no Kiyomichi by deciphering the wooden tablets excavated from the Heijo Palace ruins. Hashi (Hashi) is a name meaning Persia. It is speculated that it may be Ri Mitsuei or a related person.
The Iranian official Shaykh Ahmad who moved to the Thai kingdom of Ayutthaya crushed and defeated Japanese merchants who attempted a coup against the Thai king in 1611.
Meiji Restoration through World War II (1868-1945)
In 1878, Takeaki Enomoto, a Japanese envoy to the Russian Empire, officially had an audience with King Naser al-Din Shah of the Qajar Iran in St. Petersburg. In 1880, a delegation with Masaharu Yoshida, a ministry of foreign affairs, was the first Japanese person to set foot in Persia, and in Tehran, he had an audience with Naser al-Din Shah and obtained permission to trade. However, formal diplomatic relations were not established until 1926 after the establishment of the Pahlavi dynasty. In 1935, the Pahlavi dynasty changed its name from Persia to Iran. The Japan-Iran Friendship Treaty was signed in 1939, as was Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, which remained neutral in World War II, partly because King Reza Shah was pro-Germany. In addition, a sincere relationship was established with Japan. After the outbreak of the Great East Asia War (Pacific War), Iran declared neutrality, but it was extremely difficult for Iran, which had already received explicit internal affairs interference from Britain and the Soviet Union, to maintain its neutrality. Back in August–September 1941, British and Soviet troops overrun Iran's territory and forcibly deposed Reza Shah, a pro-German and politically skilled man, and made a young and easy-to-use Crown Prince Mohammad a new monarch. The British and Soviet Union kept interfering Iran and would not stop doing so. As a result of these diplomatic pressures, Iran broke diplomatic relations with Japan in April 1942 and declared war on the Axis powers, including Japan, on February 28, 1945. After that, in August 1945, Japan accepted the Potsdam Declaration and surrendered without restoring diplomatic relations between Japan and Iran.
Post World War II to the Iranian Revolution (1945-1979) Official diplomatic relations between Japan and Iran were revived in 1953, after the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed. In 1953, the Nissho Maru Incident occurred. This case is sometimes pointed out as one of the reasons for why Iranians are pro-Japanese.
In 1955, Iran, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Pakistan, and Iraq formed the anti-communist Baghdad Pact (METO). Three member states bordered the Soviet Union; the group was positioned be a Middle East version of NATO (called by some the "Baghdad Treaty Organization"). As sovereign nations in the anti-communist camp, bilateral relations between Japan and Iran, which had just established formal diplomatic relations, were extremely good. Led by the import and export of oil, economic relations deepened and the imperial families of both countries made official visits to each other.
In 1958, a coup d’état overthrowing the royal government occurred in Iraq, a neighboring country of Iran, and the pro-US anti-communist Iraqi kingdom collapsed. The following year, in 1959, Iraq, which had deepened its ties with the Soviet Union, withdrew from the Baghdad Pact. As a result, the Baghdad Pact was renamed the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), and its headquarters moved from Baghdad to Ankara, the capital of Turkey, which was also a NATO member. Iran, remained in the anti-communist camp, for nearly 20 years, a time when it became increasingly important in the Middle East. As with good relations, Iran continued to be a friendly nation towards Japan, which is centered on the Japan-US security system. In 1974, Japan and Iran signed a visa-exempt tourism agreement, allowing citizens of both countries to freely visit each other. In June 1976, it was decided to establish the Consulate General of Japan in Khorramshahr (Khorramshahr), which was prosperous as a petroleum chemical industry zone, and the Consulate General was opened in January 1977. At this point, it could be said that the friendly relationship between Japan and Iran had reached its peak.
Revolution to Ahmadinejad (1979-2013) In February 1979, a revolution occurred in Iran and the Pahlavi dynasty collapsed, revealing an anti-American stance in Iran, which had been pro-US until then. In November of the same year, a mob broke into the U.S. embassy in the capital Tehran and took the embassy staffs as hostage. That was an act similar to a declaration of war, and the Iranian authorities were originally in a position to crack down on mobs, but the Iranian interim government at that time was in a dual government state with the anti-American radical Islamic Revolutionary Council. Therefore, it was not possible to release the hostages. Furthermore, when the interim government resigned due to the incident, the Revolutionary Council officially seized political power and began to defend the mob in the shadows. In April 1980, the United States notified Iran of the severance of diplomatic relations and imposed economic sanctions. US President Jimmy Carter, who was unable to resolve the case, was severely damaged in his prestige and was unable to re-elect in his presidential election, contributing to the change of government to Ronald Reagan. The US embassy hostage case was resolved shortly after President Reagan took office, but the case decisively worsened relations between Iran and the United States.
In addition to the above-mentioned US embassy hostage crisis, in the 1980s, the Iran-Iraq War (which almost coincided with the time of the Reagan administration) created a composition in which the United States supported Iran's enemy Iraq. It was to protect the Gulf nations, an important pro-US group, from Iran's overthrow of royal rule. The influence of US foreign policy has put pressure on Japan to reduce its relations with Iran, while the result is that Japan's relations with Iraq have deepened. Since then, Japan has established a scheme of "maintaining and strengthening relations with Iran to the extent possible while looking at the complexion of the United States." In April 1992, the visa-exempt tourism agreement, which had been signed and inherited before the revolution, was suspended due to an increase in the number of Iranians living illegally in Japan despite entering the country for tourism purposes. Since 2004, Japan has been developing Iran's largest Azadegan oil field. On February 23, 2010, Iran's Speaker of Parliament, Ali Larijani, visited Japan by the invitation of the House of Representatives. The Speaker met with Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Katsuya Okada on February 24 and on February 27, visited Nagasaki City to visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum for the first time. The Speaker commented to reporters, "If there is even one atomic bomb in the world, it is a threat to humankind. People should stand up for a world without nuclear weapons.” After the tour, the Speaker and Mr. Tomihisa Taue, Mayor of Nagasaki, donated flowers to the monument to the center of the atomic bomb fall in the hypocenter park near the museum. On December 9, 2011, Japan suspended its correspondent relationship with banks under "Additional Targets for Measures Accompanying the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929." The permit system allows payments to three banks involved in Iran's nuclear energy development, 106 groups / individuals other than banks, and capital transactions with designated persons. *3 banks (20 banks in total, including successive resolutions and ancillary measures last year) Persons other than banks 106 groups / 1 individual (total of 267 groups / 66 individuals including successive resolutions and incidental measures last year) In addition, in response to a statement from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), we requested financial institutions to thoroughly fulfill their obligations to verify the identity of customers, to report suspicious transactions, and to notify foreign exchange transactions.
Rouhani administration (2013-2020)