Peru and Japan: a history of a century and a half of closeness

On August 21, 1873 in Yedo (Tokyo) the solemn ceremony took place in which the treaty that began diplomatic relations between the Republic of Peru and the Empire of Peru was signed. Japan. Therefore, tomorrow is commemorated the sesquicentennial of an event of significant importance and deep historical significance. Peru was the first country in South America to establish diplomatic relations with Japan, which years later would make it possible for citizens of that empire to immigrate to our shores. This pleasant relationship began on April 3, 1899 when the ship Sakura Maru arrived in Callao bringing the first contingent of agricultural workers who would leave an enduring mark.

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Tenacious, hard-working, intelligent, cultivators of the virtue of thrift, Japanese immigrants not only dedicated themselves to farm tasks. Once their contracts concluded, many of them settled in various parts of the country, especially Lima. They started small mobile businesses, then commercial establishments and continued to grow to form medium and large companies in various fields. Remarkable, equally, has been his contribution to the sciences, humanities and the academic world in general. The Nikkei community is large and prestigious. Deeply Peruvian, she has not spiritually broken with the ancient traditions of her ancestors, with the noble moral code that teaches them the path of honor, asceticism and work.

The Japanese Empire, until the first half of the 19th century, had been oblivious to the growing link between the countries of the East and the West. In 1867, Emperor Matsu Hito inaugurated “the age of light” and with a hand that was both iron and shrewd made it possible for Japan to begin its journey as a modern state. In May 1872, a Peruvian ship, the María Luz, which was transporting Chinese workers to Peru, had to seek refuge in the Japanese port of Kanagara due to a storm. One of the Chinese passengers promoted an incident that had to be resolved in a Japanese court, with negative interference from European powers. This unpleasant event accelerated the already planned decision of the Manuel Pardo regime to send a diplomatic mission to Japan and China to have a direct relationship with those empires without third party interference.

El Comercio, in its edition of September 20, 1872, gave the names of the members of the Peruvian diplomatic delegation that was about to embark on a trip. It was presided over, with the rank of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, by the captain of the ship Aurelio García y García, one of our sailors who with his good manhood, courage and talent provided Peru with very important services not only in the naval field, but also as diplomat, scientist, politician and businessman. The secretary of the delegation was John F. Elmore. Associates: E. Quiroz, J. Benavides, J. Delgado, A. Paz Soldán, JR Tudela, J. Garland. They went as assistants: N. Aramburú, O. Freyre and JR Pacheco. On September 22, they set sail from Callao on a ship belonging to the Compañía de Vapores del Pacífico. On January 30, 1873, they arrived in San Francisco and on February 1, on the Colorado steamer, they set out in search of Yokohama, a port they arrived at on the 27th of the same month.

On March 1, the delegation continued to Yedo (Tokyo), where Commander García y García met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Soyeshima Tone Omi. This was a statesman of great renown and, later, he was elevated to the noble dignity of count and private adviser to the emperor. That first meeting took place cordially and the Peruvian mission was hosted in the palace of Ienris Kwan, a true and dazzling marvel due to the luxury of its rooms and the beauty of its gardens. Shortly after, always within the greatest courtesy, a subtle diplomatic fencing began. Minister Soyeshima informed that the emperor was ill and could not receive the Peruvian delegation. García y García realized that this would diminish the importance of his mission and replied that he would wait as long as necessary until the monarch healed. Two days later, they indicated that the audience was feasible, but that the emperor would only receive the head of the Peruvian delegation. García y García firmly replied that if everyone was not received, this attitude would be taken as a rebuff to President Pardo that he could not accept. Minister Soyeshima, hours later, reported that on March 3 the emperor would receive the full delegation. The protocol was lavish and García y García presented credentials in an impressive ceremony. That same night, the Minister of Foreign Affairs entertained our compatriots with a lavish dinner.

Long and tiring process

In a private letter to his friend and co-religionist, President Pardo, Commander García y García told him that the negotiations had been long and tiring. One of the issues that created the biggest problem was finding a solution to the incident involving the boat María Luz. García y García confided to him that he had been lucky to have the support of important figures in Japanese politics and that had been useful in getting around bureaucratic obstacles. Another point that had lengthened the negotiations was to ensure that Peru, like the European powers and the United States, was allowed to exempt its citizens from Japanese jurisdiction and subject only to that of their consuls.

On August 21, 1873, from Yedo (Tokyo), García y García wrote to our Minister of Foreign Relations: “I have the honor to inform Your Excellency that today at 4:30 pm I have signed a Peace Treaty with Minister Soyeshima , Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, which establishes the relations between the Republic of Peru and the Empire of Japan; I have obtained for Peru and its officials and citizens the same rights, privileges, immunities, powers and advantages that Japan currently grants or may hereafter grant to foreign nations and subjects.” The success of García y García was complete and brilliant. The treaty was signed and sealed in nine copies (Spanish, Japanese and English). The matter of the boat María Luz was submitted to arbitration by the Tsar of Russia. That same day, the Peruvian flag was raised at the Kanagawa fort and was greeted with a 21-gun salute. It was not until September 20 that the pleasant news was officially announced in Lima and, immediately, the Japanese flag raised to the top of the main mast of the Real Felipe fortress was honored with a similar procedure.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.