Belgium–Japan relations
Encyclopedia
Belgium–Japan relations are the bilateral relations between the nations of Belgium
and Japan
.
Belgium has an embassy in Tokyo
and 5 honorary consulates in Sapporo, Nagoya, Kyoto
, Osaka
, and Fukuoka
.
Japan has an embassy in Brussels
.
and Belgium
signed the Japan-Belgium Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation. On Belgian side, it was negotiated and signed by August ‘t Kint de Roodenbeek, the first Belgian diplomat
visiting Japan after the country had opened up in 1859
On the basis of this bilateral treaty
, a Belgian vice consulate was established in Yokohama
on 28 March 1867, headed by the Dutch businessman Maurice Lejeune. He was succeeded by Emile Moulron in July 1872, who continued to act as vice consul
in Yokohama till October 1878.
‘t Kint de Roodenbeek, who left Japan for Belgium at the end of 1867, became envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary for China and Japan in May 1869. He took up his post in Japan in November 1870, but left again in September 1871. During his mandate he mainly stayed in Yokohama, though he performed his official duties in Tokyo. From 1869 on, Belgium also had a consulate in Tokyo, headed by Louis Strauss, a businessman from Antwerp. This consulate closed in 1873.
On 25 June 1873, Charles de Groote was appointed Minister Resident for Japan. Groote was director of the accountancy department of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
. He arrived in Yokohama in November 1873. After a few months in Tokyo, he established the Belgian legation
on the Bluff
in the Yokohama Foreign Settlement by mid March 1874.
Charles de Groote left for Belgium in March 1878, but returned to Yokohama as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary in December 1879. While in Belgium, he negotiated the appointment of Maurice Verhaeghe de Naeyer from Ghent
as new Belgian consul. Verhaeghe de Naeyer took up his post in Yokohama in October 1878, but was found dead in his residence on the Bluff on 27 October 1879. According to the Japanese press, he had committed suicide; a thesis disputed by some of the press in his hometown Ghent.
Again, de Groote established the Belgian legation on the Bluff in Yokohama. In January 1880 Gustave Scribe from Ghent arrived as new Belgian consul in Yokohama. He established a consulate on the Bluff, not far from the Belgian legation. In May 1883, he became subject of a judicial complaint from some Japanese businessmen in the so-called Pouleur case. He left Japan in January 1884, after having been appointed Consul General in Batavia.
The relationship of Charles de Groote with the Japanese authorities turned sour in 1881, due to the so-called Hota case. On the request of the Belgian Foreign Ministry, Groote left Japan in September 1881. It took till February 1882 before matters were resolved, resulting in Groote returning to Yokohama in May 1882. His tenure would end on 16 September 1884, when he suddenly died in his residence on the Bluff.
The new Belgian envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary for Japan was Georges Neyt, who arrived in Yokohama in February 1885. After first having established himself on the Bund
in Yokohama Foreign Settlement, he finally brought the Belgian legation to Bluff no. 118 in Yokohama, where it would stay till November 1893. Neyt left Japan by mid July 1891. For more than two years, he left the legation in the hands of the secretary, Paul de Groote, son of former minister Charles de Groote.
in Tokyo.
Albert d’Anethan served for 17 years in Japan, with the exception of home leaves from March 1897 till December 1897, from December 1901 till November 1902, from August 1906 till March 1907, and from March 1909 till January 1910. His mandate in Tokyo coincided with the first Sino-Japanese War
(1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War
(1904–1905)
Minister resident Georges della Faille de Leverghem succeeded Albert d’Anethan in Tokyo. He arrived in Japan in April 1911., and was promoted to envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary in 1914. He remained in office in Tokyo till May 1919 . His term of office coincided with the World War I
(1914–1918).
In December 1920 Albert de Bassompierre was assigned Belgian minister extraordinary and plenipentiary to Tokyo, where he arrived in May 1921. He would stay in Japan till February 1939. Due to the mutual elevation of the diplomatic status between Belgium and Japan, Bassompierre became the first Belgian diplomat in Japan with the rank of ambassador
extraordinary and plenipotentiary (June 1922).
Bassompierre experienced the Great Kanto Earthquake on 1 September 1923, and was involved in the Belgian relief effort for Japan. Bassompierre also witnessed the rise of Japanese militarism
during his tenure. As foreign diplomat in Japan, he was confronted with incidents such as the murder of the Japanese prime minister Hara Takashi
in November 1921, the Manchurian Incident in 1931 and the establishment of the Manchukuo
in 1932, the May 15 Incident
in 1932, and the February 26 Incident
in 1936 .
Albert de Bassompierre was succeeded as Belgian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Japan by Pierre Attilio Forthomme in November 1939. Forthomme’s term in office was cut short by the suspension of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan in December 1941, as a consequence of Japan entering World War II
through its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
.
on 2 September 1945, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
(SCAP) took over Japanese sovereignty till April 1952. As a consequence, the Belgian diplomatic mission in Japan had to be accredited to the SCAP. Baron Guy Daufresne de la Chevalerie, became the Belgian military representative in Tokyo in October 1946. His mandate would last till April 1952, when the SCAP ceased to exist as a result of the Treaty of San Francisco
.
One of the main tasks of Daufresne de la Chevalerie was to restore the commercial relations between Belgium and Japan. His efforts let to the 1949 and 1950 commercial agreements between the two countries.
In November 1952 G. de Schoutheete de Tervarent became Belgian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in Japan till April 1956. He was succeeded by Raymond Herremans (September 1956 - July 1959) and E. du Bois in October 1959. During the tenures of Herremans and du Bois, Japan and Belgium prepared the legal framework for the further growth of their economic relations, leading to the Benelux
-Japan Commercial Agreement of 8 October 1960 and an additional protocol
of 30 April 1963. Both ambassadors were also involved in the preparation and construction of a new Belgian embassy compound in Tokyo, which opened its doors in 1960.
Albert Hupperts took up the post of Belgian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in Japan in December 1962. He was succeeded by Fredegand Cogels in December 1968, but Hupperts resumed the post in May 1972. During their terms as ambassador, Japan took center stage with the 1964 Summer Olympics
in Tokyo, and the World Expo in Osaka
(1970) . During the 1970s and 1980s, the Belgian ambassadors R. Dooreman (1974–77), Herman Dehennin (1978–1981), J. Verwilghen (1981–85) and Marcel Depasse (1985–88) witnessed the strong growth of the Japanese economy, despite two oil shocks
in the 1970s.
By the time Baron Patrick Nothomb started has 9-year term of office in 1988, Japan had established itself as the world’s second largest economy. Japan’s economic powerhouse resulted in a growing trade imbalance with Belgium, and a stream of Japanese investment into Belgium. This trend, with some ups and downs, basically remained the same during the tenures of the next Belgian ambassadors Gustaaf Dierckx (1997–2002), Jean-Francois Branders (2002–2006) and Johan Maricou (born 2006) , even though the bubble economy
in Japan was followed by the Lost Decade
in the 1990s.
Nothomb’s term was marked by the death of two monarch
s: Emperor Hirohito
of Japan died in 1989, and King Baudouin of Belgium in 1993. The reign of both monarchs were exceptionally long, and their succession by Emperor Akihito
and King Albert II
meant a new era in the monarchal relations between Belgium and Japan. The culture festivity Europalia
Japan brought Japanese culture en masse to Belgium in 1989, and was visited by 1.6 million people .
During the tenure of Dierckx the 2002 FIFA World Cup
took place jointly in Japan and Korea (June 2002). On 1 December 2001 fate decided that the first match of the Japanese national soccer team was against Belgium. The Japanese press kept its focus on Belgium for 7 months, resulting in an unexpected free promotion platform favoring the relations between the two countries.
During Jean-François Branders’ term Belgium participated to the World Expo 2005
in Aichi from March to September 2005, and Johan Maricou had to oversee the construction of a new embassy building in Tokyo (2007–2009)
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Belgium has an embassy in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and 5 honorary consulates in Sapporo, Nagoya, Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, and Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Fukuoka most often refers to the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture.It can also refer to:-Locations:* Fukuoka, Gifu, a town in Gifu Prefecture, Japan* Fukuoka, Toyama, a town in Toyama Prefecture, Japan...
.
Japan has an embassy in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
First official relations (1866-1893)
On 1 August 1866, JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
signed the Japan-Belgium Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation. On Belgian side, it was negotiated and signed by August ‘t Kint de Roodenbeek, the first Belgian diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
visiting Japan after the country had opened up in 1859
On the basis of this bilateral treaty
Bilateral treaty
A bilateral treaty is a treaty strictly between two state parties. These two parties can be two states, or two international organizations, or one state and one international organization.It is similar to a contract, so it is called contractual treaty....
, a Belgian vice consulate was established in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
on 28 March 1867, headed by the Dutch businessman Maurice Lejeune. He was succeeded by Emile Moulron in July 1872, who continued to act as vice consul
Vice Consul
A vice consul is a subordinate officer, authorized to exercise consular functions in some particular part of a district controlled by a consulate....
in Yokohama till October 1878.
‘t Kint de Roodenbeek, who left Japan for Belgium at the end of 1867, became envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary for China and Japan in May 1869. He took up his post in Japan in November 1870, but left again in September 1871. During his mandate he mainly stayed in Yokohama, though he performed his official duties in Tokyo. From 1869 on, Belgium also had a consulate in Tokyo, headed by Louis Strauss, a businessman from Antwerp. This consulate closed in 1873.
On 25 June 1873, Charles de Groote was appointed Minister Resident for Japan. Groote was director of the accountancy department of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
FPS Foreign Affairs Belgium
The FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation , more commonly known as the FPS Foreign Affairs, is a Federal Public Service of Belgium. It was created by Royal Order on March 8, 2002, as part of the plans of the first Verhofstadt Government to modernise the federal administration...
. He arrived in Yokohama in November 1873. After a few months in Tokyo, he established the Belgian legation
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
on the Bluff
Bluff
Bluff may refer to:* a type of deception* an empty boast-Geography:* a very steep and broad hill or small cliff, frequently next to a river or ocean*feeder bluffAustralia* Bluff, Queensland, a town in QueenslandCanada...
in the Yokohama Foreign Settlement by mid March 1874.
Charles de Groote left for Belgium in March 1878, but returned to Yokohama as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary in December 1879. While in Belgium, he negotiated the appointment of Maurice Verhaeghe de Naeyer from Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
as new Belgian consul. Verhaeghe de Naeyer took up his post in Yokohama in October 1878, but was found dead in his residence on the Bluff on 27 October 1879. According to the Japanese press, he had committed suicide; a thesis disputed by some of the press in his hometown Ghent.
Again, de Groote established the Belgian legation on the Bluff in Yokohama. In January 1880 Gustave Scribe from Ghent arrived as new Belgian consul in Yokohama. He established a consulate on the Bluff, not far from the Belgian legation. In May 1883, he became subject of a judicial complaint from some Japanese businessmen in the so-called Pouleur case. He left Japan in January 1884, after having been appointed Consul General in Batavia.
The relationship of Charles de Groote with the Japanese authorities turned sour in 1881, due to the so-called Hota case. On the request of the Belgian Foreign Ministry, Groote left Japan in September 1881. It took till February 1882 before matters were resolved, resulting in Groote returning to Yokohama in May 1882. His tenure would end on 16 September 1884, when he suddenly died in his residence on the Bluff.
The new Belgian envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary for Japan was Georges Neyt, who arrived in Yokohama in February 1885. After first having established himself on the Bund
Bund
- Organizations :* German American Bund, a pro-Nazi pre-World War II organisation* General Jewish Labour Bund in Lithuania, Poland and Russia, a political party founded in the Russian Empire* General Jewish Labour Bund in Poland, a political party founded in Poland...
in Yokohama Foreign Settlement, he finally brought the Belgian legation to Bluff no. 118 in Yokohama, where it would stay till November 1893. Neyt left Japan by mid July 1891. For more than two years, he left the legation in the hands of the secretary, Paul de Groote, son of former minister Charles de Groote.
From the Sino-Japanese War to World War II
The new minister resident of the King of the Belgians to Japan, Baron Albert d'Anethan, arrived in Yokohama in October 1893. He moved the Belgian legation to Tokyo in November of that same year. In 1894, d’Anethan was promoted to the rank of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary. By 1904, he was dean of the diplomatic corps in Tokyo, till his death in Tokyo on July 25, 1910. His grave is located in the Zoshigaya CemeteryZoshigaya cemetery
is a public cemetery in Minami-Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, founded by the Tokyo Metropolitan government.The cemetery welcomes people from any religion and contains the graves of many famous people in its 10 ha area...
in Tokyo.
Albert d’Anethan served for 17 years in Japan, with the exception of home leaves from March 1897 till December 1897, from December 1901 till November 1902, from August 1906 till March 1907, and from March 1909 till January 1910. His mandate in Tokyo coincided with the first Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...
(1894–1895) and the Russo-Japanese War
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
(1904–1905)
Minister resident Georges della Faille de Leverghem succeeded Albert d’Anethan in Tokyo. He arrived in Japan in April 1911., and was promoted to envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary in 1914. He remained in office in Tokyo till May 1919 . His term of office coincided with the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914–1918).
In December 1920 Albert de Bassompierre was assigned Belgian minister extraordinary and plenipentiary to Tokyo, where he arrived in May 1921. He would stay in Japan till February 1939. Due to the mutual elevation of the diplomatic status between Belgium and Japan, Bassompierre became the first Belgian diplomat in Japan with the rank of ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
extraordinary and plenipotentiary (June 1922).
Bassompierre experienced the Great Kanto Earthquake on 1 September 1923, and was involved in the Belgian relief effort for Japan. Bassompierre also witnessed the rise of Japanese militarism
Japanese militarism
refers to the ideology in the Empire of Japan that militarism should dominate the political and social life of the nation, and that the strength of the military is equal to the strength of a nation.-Rise of militarism :...
during his tenure. As foreign diplomat in Japan, he was confronted with incidents such as the murder of the Japanese prime minister Hara Takashi
Hara Takashi
was a Japanese politician and the 19th Prime Minister of Japan from 29 September 1918 to 4 November 1921. He was also called Hara Kei informally. He was the first commoner appointed to the office of prime minister of Japan...
in November 1921, the Manchurian Incident in 1931 and the establishment of the Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
in 1932, the May 15 Incident
May 15 Incident
The ' was an attempted coup d'état in Japan, on May 15, 1932, launched by radical elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy, aided by cadets in the Imperial Japanese Army and civilian remnants of the League of Blood Incident. Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated by 11 young naval officers...
in 1932, and the February 26 Incident
February 26 Incident
The was an attempted coup d'état in Japan, from February 26 to 29, 1936 carried out by 1,483 troops of the Imperial Japanese Army. Several leading politicians were killed and the center of Tokyo was briefly occupied by the rebelling troops...
in 1936 .
Albert de Bassompierre was succeeded as Belgian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Japan by Pierre Attilio Forthomme in November 1939. Forthomme’s term in office was cut short by the suspension of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Japan in December 1941, as a consequence of Japan entering World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
through its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
.
After World War II
After the surrender of JapanSurrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
on 2 September 1945, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...
(SCAP) took over Japanese sovereignty till April 1952. As a consequence, the Belgian diplomatic mission in Japan had to be accredited to the SCAP. Baron Guy Daufresne de la Chevalerie, became the Belgian military representative in Tokyo in October 1946. His mandate would last till April 1952, when the SCAP ceased to exist as a result of the Treaty of San Francisco
Treaty of San Francisco
The Treaty of Peace with Japan , between Japan and part of the Allied Powers, was officially signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, California...
.
One of the main tasks of Daufresne de la Chevalerie was to restore the commercial relations between Belgium and Japan. His efforts let to the 1949 and 1950 commercial agreements between the two countries.
In November 1952 G. de Schoutheete de Tervarent became Belgian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in Japan till April 1956. He was succeeded by Raymond Herremans (September 1956 - July 1959) and E. du Bois in October 1959. During the tenures of Herremans and du Bois, Japan and Belgium prepared the legal framework for the further growth of their economic relations, leading to the Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
-Japan Commercial Agreement of 8 October 1960 and an additional protocol
Protocol (diplomacy)
In international politics, protocol is the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state.A protocol is a rule which guides how an activity should be performed, especially in the field of diplomacy. In diplomatic services and governmental fields of endeavor protocols are often unwritten guidelines...
of 30 April 1963. Both ambassadors were also involved in the preparation and construction of a new Belgian embassy compound in Tokyo, which opened its doors in 1960.
Albert Hupperts took up the post of Belgian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in Japan in December 1962. He was succeeded by Fredegand Cogels in December 1968, but Hupperts resumed the post in May 1972. During their terms as ambassador, Japan took center stage with the 1964 Summer Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo, and the World Expo in Osaka
Expo '70
was a World's Fair held in Suita, Osaka, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. The theme of the Expo was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese Expo '70 is often referred to as Ōsaka Banpaku...
(1970) . During the 1970s and 1980s, the Belgian ambassadors R. Dooreman (1974–77), Herman Dehennin (1978–1981), J. Verwilghen (1981–85) and Marcel Depasse (1985–88) witnessed the strong growth of the Japanese economy, despite two oil shocks
1970s energy crisis
The 1970s energy crisis was a period in which the major industrial countries of the world, particularly the United States, faced substantial shortages, both perceived and real, of petroleum...
in the 1970s.
By the time Baron Patrick Nothomb started has 9-year term of office in 1988, Japan had established itself as the world’s second largest economy. Japan’s economic powerhouse resulted in a growing trade imbalance with Belgium, and a stream of Japanese investment into Belgium. This trend, with some ups and downs, basically remained the same during the tenures of the next Belgian ambassadors Gustaaf Dierckx (1997–2002), Jean-Francois Branders (2002–2006) and Johan Maricou (born 2006) , even though the bubble economy
Japanese asset price bubble
The was an economic bubble in Japan from 1986 to 1991, in which real estate and stock prices were greatly inflated. The bubble's collapse lasted for more than a decade with stock prices initially bottoming in 2003, although they would descend even further amidst the global crisis in 2008. The...
in Japan was followed by the Lost Decade
Lost Decade (Japan)
The is the time after the Japanese asset price bubble's collapse within the Japanese economy, which occurred gradually rather than catastrophically...
in the 1990s.
Nothomb’s term was marked by the death of two monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
s: Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
of Japan died in 1989, and King Baudouin of Belgium in 1993. The reign of both monarchs were exceptionally long, and their succession by Emperor Akihito
Akihito
is the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In...
and King Albert II
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
meant a new era in the monarchal relations between Belgium and Japan. The culture festivity Europalia
Europalia
Europalia is a major international arts festival held every two years to celebrate one invited country’s cultural heritage. Europalia was established in Brussels in 1969, and from the beginning Europalia was designed to be a multidisciplinary cultural festival....
Japan brought Japanese culture en masse to Belgium in 1989, and was visited by 1.6 million people .
During the tenure of Dierckx the 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
took place jointly in Japan and Korea (June 2002). On 1 December 2001 fate decided that the first match of the Japanese national soccer team was against Belgium. The Japanese press kept its focus on Belgium for 7 months, resulting in an unexpected free promotion platform favoring the relations between the two countries.
During Jean-François Branders’ term Belgium participated to the World Expo 2005
Expo 2005
Expo 2005 was the World's Fair held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. It was a Specialized International Exhibition under the scheme of the 1972 protocol of the Convention relating to International Exhibitions...
in Aichi from March to September 2005, and Johan Maricou had to oversee the construction of a new embassy building in Tokyo (2007–2009)
.
External links
- Embassy of Belgium in Tokyo
- Embassy of Japan in Brussels
- Foreign relations of BelgiumForeign relations of Belgium-Initial neutrality:Because of its location at the crossroads of Western Europe, Belgium has historically been the route of invading armies from its larger neighbours. With virtually defenceless borders, Belgium has traditionally sought to avoid domination by the more powerful nations which...
- Foreign relations of JapanForeign relations of JapanForeign relations of Japan is handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.Since the surrender after World War II and the Treaty of San Francisco, Japanese diplomatic policy has been based on close partnership with the United States and the emphasis on the international cooperation such as...