Relations before Italo-Ethiopian War In 1911, around 60,000 stands of arms and 6,000,000 cartridges taken by the Japanese from
Port Arthur during the
Russo-Japanese War were sold to Ethiopia. and
Crown Prince Akihito in November 1955.
Kuroki Tokitaro, the Vice consul in Port Said, was sent by the Japanese
foreign ministry to negotiate with the Ethiopians after diplomat
Sugimura Yotaro stated that they could serve as good trade clients. Tokitaro arrived in Djibouti on November 16, 1924, and after negotiating with the Ethiopians in Addis Ababa reported that Ethiopia could fulfill Japan's cotton needs and could offer land for cultivation. On November 26, 1926, Tokitaro was sent back to Ethiopia to negotiate a trade treaty, but was told to delay as the government was still undecided on whether or not to establish a legation to Ethiopia. After support was given from
Mushanokoji Kintomo, the
Japanese ambassador to Romania, the negotiations continued and on June 21, 1927, the two countries signed a Treaty of Friendship and Commerce that was written in Japanese and French and another was ratified on November 15, 1930, after the Japanese were able to instruct someone to speak
Amharic. In 1927, an Economic Survey Party was sent by the Japanese government under the leadership of
Oyama Ujiro that toured
British East Africa,
Portuguese Mozambique,
Madagascar, and Ethiopia to study the political and economic conditions of the areas before returning to Japan via Djibouti on February 20, 1928. In 1934, the two countries agreed to an irrigation development project where 100,000 Japanese planters would help with irrigation systems around
Lake Tana and the Japanese legation to Ethiopia hoped to receive funding from the 1935-1936 budget to create an embassy in
Addis Ababa. In 1933, the Ethiopians established an
honorary consulate-general in Osaka, Japan, and on January 1, 1936, the Japanese establish an embassy in Addis Ababa. At the same time, there was a popular speculation of a royal marriage between the two countries, with Prince
Lij Araya Abeba and
Masako Kuroda, daughter of Viscount
Hiroyuki Kuroda. However, tense pressure from Western countries, particularly Italy, undermined the relationship due to the fears of an 'anti-white supremacy' nature behind the marriage and the arrangement was cancelled. In 1934, two Japanese gunboats visited
Djibouti, the primary maritime door to Ethiopia, and that same year the Japanese government sent
Tsuchida Yutaka on an inspection tour of Ethiopia. Although eager to protect Ethiopia's independence from the predations of the United Kingdom, France, and
Italy, and optimistic about commercial opportunities, Tsuchida felt that Japan, far from Ethiopia, could not have an effect on imperialist ambitions there. The
Italians were critical of the Japanese relations with Ethiopia while increasing military supplies in their colonies in
Eritrea and
Somaliland. In December 1934, a series of
border clashes occurred along the Ethiopian-Somaliland border during which the Japanese supported the Ethiopians and asked them to stand up against the Italians.
Relations after World War II In 1955, Japan and Ethiopia re-established diplomatic ties, and three years later they exchanged ambassadors.
Post-revolution Until the
1974 Ethiopian revolution, Japanese investors played a major role in the Ethiopian textile industry, after which their holdings were
nationalized. During 1982 and 1983, the Ethiopian government settled claims made by Japanese and other foreign nationals over the loss of their investments.
Modern Ethiopia After the fall of the
Derg, Japanese investment and foreign aid was restored to Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Foreign Minister
Seyoum Mesfin visited Japan in 1992, and in 1996 Prime Minister
Meles Zenawi also made a formal visit to Japan. In return, the Japanese Foreign Minister
Yoriko Kawaguchi visited Ethiopia in 2002. ==See also==