Japan–Vietnam relations
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| Japan | Vietnam |
Japan–Vietnam relations stretch back to the at least the 16th century, when the two countries engaged in friendly trade. Modern relations between the two countries are based on Vietnam's developing economy and Japan's role as an investor and foreign aid donor.
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[edit] History
[edit] Early contact
An archaelogical dig in Kyūshū, Japan revealed fragments of a Vietnamese ceramic with the inscribed date of 1330. It is unknown how the fragments arrived there, although trade with Chinese or Javanese merchants could have brought the piece to Japan.[1]
[edit] 16th to 17th century
As early as the 1500s, contact between Japan and Vietnam came in the form of trade.[2] Along with Siam (Thailand) and Malaysia, Japanese red seal ships frequented Vietnamese ports. Vietnamese records show that when the port of Hoi An was opened by Lord Nguyen Hoang in the early 17th century, hundreds of Japanese traders were already residing there.[1]
Japanese traders brought silver, copper and bronze in exchange for Vietnamese silk, sugar, spices and sandalwood, which fetched a huge profit back in Japan. In order to handle the influx of traders, a Japanese district called Nihonmachi was set up at Hoi An.[1]
The two countries enjoyed a warm degree of friendship.[1] Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu exchanged amicable letters and gifts with Lord Nguyen. His son, Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen would marry his daughter, Princess Ngoc Khoa to Araki Shutaro, an eminent Japanese trader.[1] Traders from Japan often donated money to the locals and were treated well.[1] Many settled and assimilated into their new surroundings.
When Japan entered a period of self-isolation, trade continued to flow, either through the planning of permanent residents or through intermediary Dutch merchants. However, in 1685, the Tokugawa Shogunate became aware of the nation's overexploited silver and copper mines, and a trade restriction was put in place. Due to the importance of these metals, the new regulations dampened trade between Japan and Vietnam, as well as much of South Asia.[1]
[edit] Modern times
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During the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 1970s, Japan had consistently encouraged a negotiated settlement at the earliest possible date. Even before the hostilities ended, it had made contact with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) government and had reached an agreement to establish diplomatic relations in September 1973. Implementation, however, was delayed by North Vietnamese demands that Japan pay the equivalent of US$45 million in World War II reparations in two yearly installments, in the form of "economic cooperation" grants. Giving in to the Vietnamese demands, Japan paid the money and opened an embassy in Hanoi in October 11, 1975 following the unification of North Vietnam and South Vietnam into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Recognition of the communist Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia came in 1975, and diplomatic relations with that country were established in August 1976.
Meanwhile, Japanese trade with Vietnam—US$285 million in 1986—was conducted through Japanese trading companies and the Japan-Vietnam Trade Association, which was made up of some eighty-three Japanese firms. Japanese government officials also visited Hanoi in support of trade, but Vietnam's failure to repay outstanding public and private debts inhibited further trade growth. Japanese exports to Vietnam emphasized chemicals, textiles, machinery, and transportation equipment. In return, Vietnamese exports to Japan comprised mostly marine products and coal.
At the end of the 1980s, Vietnam was faced with international isolation, waning Soviet bloc support, continued armed resistance in Cambodia, and large-scale economic problems at home, Hanoi withdrew most if not all of its combat troops from Cambodia in 1989. It appealed to developed countries to open channels of economic cooperation, trade, and aid. Although some Japanese businesses were interested in investment and trade with Vietnam and Cambodia, the Japanese government still opposed economic cooperation with those countries until there had been a comprehensive settlement in Cambodia. This stand was basically consistent with United States policy of the time. Japan gave informal assurances that Tokyo was prepared to bear a large share of the financial burden to help with reconstruction aid to Cambodia, whenever a comprehensive settlement was reached, and to help fund UN or other international peacekeeping forces, should they be required.
Japan carried through on its promises. Following the October 23, 1991 Final Act of the International Paris Conference on Cambodia among the Cambodian parties, Indonesia (as co-chair with France), and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Japan promptly established diplomatic relations and ended economic restrictions with Cambodia and Vietnam. In November 1992, Tokyo offered Vietnam US$370 million in aid. Japan also took a leading role in peacekeeping activities in Cambodia. Japan's Akashi Yasushi, UN undersecretary for disarmament, was head of the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia, and Japan pledged US$3 million and even sent approximately 2,000 personnel, including members of the SDF, to participate directly in maintaining the peace. Despite the loss of a Japanese peacekeeper killed in an ambush, the force remained in Cambodia until the Cambodians were able to elect and install a government.
Vietnam joined ASEAN in 1995 and the establishment of the ASEAN Plus Three consultations in 1997, which include China, Japan, and South Korea. These nations share a place in the Southeast Asian economy and security framework.
Japan is the single biggest country donor to Vietnam. It has pledged $US890 million in aid for the country this year, or 6.5 percent higher than the 2006 level of $US835.6 million.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Japan early trade coin and the commercial trade between Vietnam and Japan in the 17th century. Luc, Thuan. Retrieved on May 08, 2009.
- ^ Owen, Norman G., Chandler, David The emergence of modern Southeast Asia (p. 107). University of Hawaii Press, 2005. ISBN 0824828410,
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.
[edit] External links
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