designed by
Antonin Raymond The diplomatic relation between Czechoslovakia and Japan was established in 1919. The relations were broken off during
World War II from 1939, and re-established in 1957. Japan's first Minister Plenipotentiary to Czechoslovakia was
Harukazu Nagaoka. After the
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Japan recognized the foundation of the Czech Republic and the
Slovak Republic, and likewise continued diplomatic relations with both republics. In July 2002 the Emperor and Empress of Japan,
Akihito and
Michiko, made an official visit to
Prague. In August 2003,
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid an official visit to the
Central Europe, namely Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. On August 20, he left
Warsaw for Prague as the last destination of his journey. In the afternoon of the next day, he held talks with
Czech Prime Minister Vladimír Špidla at the Prime Minister's Office and there they exchanged their ideas and thoughts on the bilateral relations and significant global issues that include the
nuclear ambitions of North Korea and
reconstruction of Iraq, where it had been only three months since
the war had ended. According to the meeting, both of the prime ministers issued the "Joint Statement towards Strategic Partnership between Japan and the Czech Republic," which celebrated 10th anniversary of their partnership and the imperial visit to Prague a year ago as an epoch-making event and proclaimed more evolution of cooperation in the bilateral relations, in assisting the renaissance of Iraq and in preventing the further proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction. ==Trade and economy==