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Japan–Turkey relations
Bilateral relations From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Japan–Turkey relations (Japanese: 日本とトルコの関係, romanized: Nihon to Toruko no Kankei; Turkish: Japonya-Türkiye ilişkileri) are foreign relations between Japan and Turkey. Japan has an embassy in Ankara and a consulate-general in Istanbul. Turkey has an embassy in Tokyo and a consulate-general in Nagoya. The relationship has been described as "close".[1]
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History
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Ottoman Empire
Relations between the two countries started in the 19th century. A foundational event occurred in 1890, when the Turkish frigate Ertuğrul hit a reef and sank off the coast of Wakayama, Japan, after having an audience with the Meiji Emperor. The surviving sailors were taken back to Istanbul by two Japanese frigates. A monument commemorating the Ottoman sailors was erected in Kushimoto of Wakayama Prefecture, called the Kushimoto Turkish Memorial and Museum. In 2015, the movie "125 Years Memory" was released, marking the 125th anniversary of friendship between Japan and Turkey. The motion picture reflects two important historical incidents in Japanese-Turkish relations, the aforementioned sinking of the Ertuğrul and the evacuation of Japanese nationals from Iran in 1985.[2]
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Nipponophilia took hold of the Ottoman press with hundreds upon hundreds of articles written about Japan.[3] As an Eastern people who originated in Central Asia, many Turks felt a special affinity for another Eastern, Asian nation like Japan, which had modernized without becoming westernized.[4] Further adding to the mutual attraction between the Turks and the Japanese was their shared enmity towards Russia, the archenemy of the Ottomans for centuries and the new archenemy of Japan.[5] Already starting to promote the ideology of Pan-Asianism, the Japanese began to court the Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman Empire. The Meiji Emperor sent princes of the House of Yamato to visit the Sultan-Caliph, Abdul Hamid II, bearing gifts and proposals for treaties and generating much excitement in the Ottoman press.[4] Abdul Hamid II admired Japan to a certain extent but was fearful of the popular rumors that the Meiji Emperor would convert to Islam and proclaim himself Caliph, thereby displacing the Sultan-Caliph as the object of veneration from all the world's Sunni Muslims.[5]
The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) greatly admired Japan, which they took as their model.[6] The fact that an Asian nation like Japan had defeated Russia in 1905, the traditional enemy of the Ottoman Empire, was very inspiring to the Unionists, and Unionist newspapers all portrayed Japan's victory as a triumph not only over Russia, but also over Western values.[7] The Unionists especially admired the Japanese for their embrace of Western science and technology without losing their "Eastern spiritual essence", which was seen as proving that one could modernize without embracing Western values, providing the inspiration to make the Ottoman Empire into the "Japan of the Near East".[8] The Turks originated as a people living north of the Great Wall of China, with the first mention of the Turks in history occurring in a letter written to the Chinese emperor Wen in 585 AD. Over the centuries the Turks had wandered across Eurasia, settling in very large numbers in Anatolia after their victory over the Romans at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. The Unionists were proud of the East Asian origins of the Turkish people, and spent much time glorying Turan, which was the name they had adopted for the homeland of the Turks in East Asia that was located somewhere north of the Great Wall of China.[9] As the Chinese and Arabs were the traditional enemies of the Turks, there no ties of friendship to celebrate with those peoples. Ziya Gökalp, the chief ideologue of the Young Turks charged in a 1913 essay that "the sword of the Turk and likewise his pen have exalted the Arabs, the Chinese and the Persians" rather than themselves and that the modern Turks "needed to turn back to their ancient past".[9] Gökalp argued it was time for the Turks to once again study the important figures of their own Turco-Mongol tradition, such as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Timur, and Hulagu Khan.[9]
The modernization policies carried out by the Unionist regime starting in 1908 after the Young Turk revolution were closely modeled after the modernization of Meiji Japan.[10] One Unionist, Colonel Pertev Bey wrote after the revolution of 1908: "We will rise shortly... with the same brilliance as the Rising Sun of the Far East did a few years ago! In any case, let us not forget that a nation always rises from its own strength!".[5] In an inversion of Western paranoia about the "Yellow Peril", the Young Turks often fantasised about creating an alliance with Japan that would unite all the peoples of "the East" to wage war against the much hated Western nations that dominated the world, a "Yellow wave" that would wash away European civilisation for good.[11] For the Young Turks, the term yellow (which was in fact a derogatory Western term for East Asians, based upon their perceived skin colour) stood for the "Eastern gold", the innate moral superiority of Eastern peoples over the corrupt West.[12] In the eyes of the Unionists, it was the civilisations of the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and the Far East that were the superior civilisations to Western civilisation, and it was merely an unfortunate accident of history that the West had happened to become more economically and technologically advanced than the Asian civilisations, something that they were determined to correct.[12] The Young Turks were very impressed with how the Japanese had fought the Russian-Japanese war, observing that because of Bushido ("the way of the warrior"), the fierce warrior code of the samurai, that all Japanese males were indoctrinated in after the Meiji Restoration that the Japanese had no fear of death as for them it was the greatest honor to die for the Emperor while the Russians were afraid to die and did not know why they were fighting in Manchuria, thus giving the Japanese the edge in combat.[13] The Unionists intended to emulate the Japanese example by creating a militaristic educational system designed to make every man a soldier and every woman into essentially a soldier-making machine; the concept of jihad would play the same role in motivating the Turkish soldier to fight and die for the caliph (regarded as Allah's representative on the Earth) as Bushido did for the Japanese soldier to die for his emperor (regarded by the Japanese as a living god).[14] From the Meiji Restoration to 1945, Japanese students were taught that Bushido was the highest moral code, that for a man it was the greatest honor to die for the Emperor while for a woman it was the greatest honor to bear sons who would die for the Emperor.[15] As with the case of the oligarchy that ruled Meiji Japan, the purpose of the modernization policies of the CUP regime to allow the nation to win wars, and the educational pol,icies of the CUP regime, which were closely modeled after the Japanese educational system, were meant to train the male students to be soldiers when they become adults.[16] The Turkish historian Handan Nezir Akmeșe wrote that the most important factor in Unionist thinking was the "devaluation of life", the belief that Eastern peoples like the Japanese and the Turks attached no value to human life including their own, and unlike the Westerners who allegedly clung pathetically to their lives when confronted with danger, Easterners supposedly died willingly and happily for the cause.[17]
Efforts to establish treaty relations between Japan and the Ottoman Empire failed because of Japan's insistence that it receive capitulations like the other Great Powers and the Empire's demand that the two countries negotiate only as absolute equals.[18] During World War I, Japan was one of the Allies while the Turkish Ottoman Empire was one of the Central Powers.
Republic of Turkey
Following the founding of the Republic of Turkey, diplomatic relations were established in 1924 and first embassies were opened in 1925.[20] The first Japanese ambassador to Turkey was Sadatsuchi Uchida, who later in 1926 proposed and established the Japan-Turkey Society, a non-profit organization aiming mutual exchange between Turkey and Japan.
During the 1930s, Japan engaged in a secret attempt to create an Islamic state in Central Asia with Japanese backing, with the Ottoman Crown Prince Şehzade Mehmed Abdülkerim as its Sultan at the Kumul Rebellion. The plot failed to materialise.[21][22][23]
While Turkey had declared war on Japan in February 1945, it was also entirely symbolic.[24] So in 1985, the almost century old gesture of kindness was reciprocated during the Iran–Iraq War. As hostilities escalated to an extent that all aircraft were threatened with being shot-down, Turkey sent an aircraft in to rescue 215 Japanese nationals who were living in Tehran at the time.[25] The Turkish government issued a statement: "We have not forgotten the rescue of the sailors of the Ertuğrul. Thus, once we heard there were Japanese citizens in need of help, we went to their rescue."
2010 marked the 120th anniversary of Turko-Japanese relations with over 186 events held throughout Turkey during the year. In this year, Turkey held the "Japan Year 2010 in Turkey." On July 10, 2010, Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, cousin of the emperor, attended the opening ceremony of the Kaman Kalehöyük Archaeological Museum. The museum was built with funding from Japan. The prince has often engaged himself actively to promote Japanese-Turkish relations. Moreover, in the wake of Great East Japan earthquake in March 2011 and the earthquakes in Turkey's eastern part in October and November 2011 respectively, both countries provided each other with support, which strengthened the relationship between the two nationals.[26]
The year 2019 is the "Turkey Year" in Japan.[27]
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Japanese activities in the Ottoman Empire
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Official relations between Japan and Turkey were established after Japan ratified the Treaty of Lausanne on 6 August 1924[28]. This occurred after the government of Turkey led by Mustafa Kemal, abolished the Ottoman sultanate and announced the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. Although, official relations of the two countries did not exist before 1924, interactions between the two countries and efforts to acquire knowledge of each other had continued for nearly 50 years[28]. Direct interaction between the two regions began after the Japanese started to travel abroad in the Meiji period (1868-1912). Japanese visitors, including members of the imperial family, military officers, and merchants, engaged in various missions and activities in the Ottoman Empire and recorded their experiences in numerous documents.[29]
Before the direct interaction
Until the nineteenth century, knowledge of each region remained limited and indirect, but did exist, relying on foreign sources.[30] One of the earliest mentions of Japan in the Turkish records can be found in the map showing the place called “Japonya” on the manuscript named Dîvânu Lugâti t-Türk by Kashgarlı Mahmud, which was written in 1074 to introduce the Turkish language and history to the Arabic readers.[31] In the seventeenth century in the Ottoman Empire, significant works, contributing the Ottoman Empire`s geographical studies, containing information about Japan, which were Cihannüma and Tuhfetü’l-Kibâr fî Esfâri’l-Bihâr, were written by Katip Çelebi. [30]He touched upon various segments of Japan, such as political structure, status system, religion, language, and diet. He mentioned that the political power was divided and Europeans tried to spread Christianity, but it did not succeed, resulting in the execution of Japanese converts.[32] A map of the Japanese archipelago was also depicted, and important cities such as Kyoto, shown as “Miyako” were introduced.[33] It is pointed out that the information provided by Katip Çelebi was based on the translation of European sources, which were acquired before the Tokugawa shogunate introduced the policy of limiting foreign access to the domains.[32]
On the Japanese side, direct interaction with not only the Turkish region but also the Muslim civilization as a whole was limited except for the Japanese communities in Southeast Asia.[34] However, a small number of artifacts and some information about the Huns and Turkish states came through China.[30] By the Edo period, it had been confirmed that the Japanese authorities were aware of the existence of the Ottoman Empire from European sources, especially from the Dutch. [30]Despite its policy to limit foreign access to the domain, which is often called Sakoku (national isolation), the Tokugawa shogunate was able to acquire knowledge of contemporary affairs in Europe through the Oranda fūsetsu sho (Dutch Reports), which were submitted by the Dutch merchants annually.[35] Information about the Ottoman Empire, which frequently had conflicts with European countries, appeared in the Dutch documents. A series of reports from 1685 to 1720 explain the flow of the Great Turkish war (1682 to1699), including some information about specific battles such as the Second Battle of Mohács and the Battle of Zenta, as well as the Treaty of Passarowitz.[35]
The Emergence of Japanese Visitors
In the nineteenth century, the Meiji Japanese government and the Ottoman government were in a similar situation in the way both countries were trying to revise unequal treaties with the West, as well as they started their modernizing program through internalization of the Western idea. [36]Japanese people started to visit European countries for observational purposes, and the Ottoman Empire, located between Europe and Japan, was often used as one of the places for the stopover points of their journey.
Even before the establishment of the Meiji government, a small number of Japanese started to visit Europe. During the late Edo period, there were some Japanese people who stopped in Egypt, which was nominally an Ottoman territory, on the way to visit Europe, such as Fukuzawa Yukichi in 1862 and Nakai Hiroshi in 1866, and there is also a photograph from 1864 showing Japanese people with the Sphinx in Cairo. [37]However, the earliest recorded Japanese visitors to the main part of the Ottoman Empire were Fukuchi Genichiro and Shimaji Mokurai after the establishment of the Meiji government[38]. Fukuchi Genichiro was a journalist and served as a translator in the Iwakura mission[38], which was initially sent to the US and Europe to revise the unequal treaties, and although that attempt failed, it became an opportunity for the government leaders to learn Western ideas. [39]When Fukuchi was in Paris, he was given a mission to observe the judicial system in the Ottoman Empire and arrived in present-day Istanbul on 11 April 1873.[38] Buddhist monk Shimaji Mokurai, who was on another observational mission in Europe, joined Fukuchi in London and accompanied him to the Ottoman Empire. [38]Although Fukuchi`s activities in the Empire remain unclear due to the lack of historical archives, Shimaji`s diaries, Kōsei Nissaku provide information about their experiences in this trip.[38] He recorded his impressions on the city, palace, and mosques as well as the knowledge on Turkish culture and history he gained.[38] Although these diaries contain some inaccuracies, they still constitute the earliest firsthand Japanese records. [38]After a twelve-day stay in Istanbul, Fukuchi and Shimaji stopped in Smyrna (present-day Izmir) and subsequently returned to Japan, traveling via Egypt and India.[38]
The gradual deepening of Japan-Ottoman relations
From the mid-1870s onward, Japanese people began constantly visiting not just Europe but also the Ottoman Empire for observational purposes, [40]although it was largely limited to government officials and military officers.[37] As more Japanese stayed in the empire, intergovernmental interaction gradually progressed to a higher level.
In 1876, a first Secretary Trainee at the Japanese Legation in the United Kingdom, Nakai Hiroshi, and a First Secretary at the Japanese Legation in Austria, Watanabe Kouki, visited Istanbul on their way back to Japan. [37]Although it was an unofficial visit, it was the first time that a Japanese diplomat had stayed in the Ottoman Empire[41]. They had opportunities to meet the Grand vizier and the foreign minister of the Ottoman Empire, and during their conversation, the Foreign Minister expressed his desire to establish diplomatic relations with Japan. [41]Nakai recorded his experiences in the Ottoman Empire in his work Manyūkitei.[41]
Several years after the visit of Nakai and Watanabe, relations between the two countries deepened enough for Japanese visitors to have an audience with the Ottoman Sultan. The Meiji government sent a mission of seven Japanese staff to observe Persia, led by diplomat Yoshida Masaharu in 1880, and after leaving Persia, they went to Istanbul via Trabzon and Samsun in 1881.[42]In Samsun, they inspected a cigarette factory, visited the Russian consulate, and landed at Galata pier in Istanbul on 11 February with the support of Russian sailors.[43] However, soon after their arrival, some of the members went to Europe, and three members, Yoshida Masaharu, Furukawa Nobuyoshi, and Yokoyama Magoichiro, stayed in the Ottoman Empire. [44]They were permitted to have an audience with Sultan Abdul Hamid II twice. During the first visit on 12 March, they exchanged conversations with the Sultan at the Yıldız Palace, and during the second visit on 19 March, they were invited to a dinner attended by the sultan, high-ranking government officials, and two Ottoman princes.[45] All three Japanese members were awarded Ottoman decorations, and after the meal, when Yoshida mentioned that he had never listened to Turkish music before, the Sultan immediately summoned a traditional ensemble to perform, and the audience continued late into the night. [46]In addition, Furukawa, who was an army captain, conducted an assessment of the Ottoman Empire`s national condition, economy, political system, and geography, as well as sought further information by meeting several foreign diplomats who were staying in Istanbul. [47]He also visited a military school in Harbiye to inspect the Empire`s both army and navy conditions.[47] He recorded his detailed research in his writing Perushia kikou. They left the Ottoman Empire on 22 March[43].
Tani Kanjyo, who was the minister of Agriculture and Commerce, visited Istanbul during his work trip in 1886. [48]He and his companion stayed in Bursa for three days, where they experienced the Turkish bath and inspected the silk factories[49]. He also had an audience with Sultan Abdul Hamid II in Yıldız Palace on 31 December, and was awarded an Ottoman decoration[50]. He wrote his experiences and reflections of this trip in his diary Yōkō Nikki.
Japanese military`s interest
The Japanese military began paying attention to the Ottoman affairs earlier than the private sector did.[51] After the Meiji restoration, the Russo-Turkish Wars were used to learn modern Western warfare in Japanese military schools, and various specialized books about the wars for military officers were published in Japan. [51]In the late nineteenth century, Japanese military officers started to conduct intelligence activities in the Ottoman Empire. [52]Lieutenant Colonel Fukushima Yasumasa of the Japanese Army visited the empire in 1889 and 1896 and submitted the report Aou Nikki to Prince Komatsu Akihito, Chief of the General Staff. [52]Major General Terauchi Masaki of the army visited the empire in 1896 and had an audience with Sultan Abdul Hamid II and inspected the military facilities in Istanbul.[52]
For the Japanese Navy, it sent its first domestically produced warship Seiki led by Lieutenant Colonel Inoue Yoshika to Europe and stopped in Istanbul, also having an audience with the Sultan in 1878.[52] In 1897, the Japanese navy dispatched Lieutenant Colonel Shimamura Hayao to the empire to observe the ongoing Greco-Turkish War. He was not able to accomplish his mission to observe the war, however, he submitted his report about his inspection. [52]
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Political relations
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Turkey and Japan are both members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), G20 and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Also Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and Japan is an observer.
There are 4,444 (2010)[53] Turkish citizens living in Japan, constituting an important aspect of Turkey's relations with Japan.[54]
The Japan-Turkey Society was established in 1926 and has since been promoting amicable relations between Japan and Turkey through seminars, the arts, language and cultural exchange and even culinary exchange activities.[55]
The Turkey-Japan Cultural Dialog Society was founded in 2006, but records cultural and other types of exchange activities between Japan and Turkey since 1873. [56]
According to the public survey in Turkey conducted by the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 2012, 83.2% of respondents answered that the relations between Japan and Turkey are "friendly" or "almost friendly".[26]
Japan criticized the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria. Foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, said in a statement: "Japan is deeply concerned that the latest military operation would make the settlement of Syrian crisis more difficult and cause further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Japan once again underscores its position that the Syrian crisis cannot be solved by any military means."[57]
Both countries cooperated during the escape of the former Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn.[1]
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Economic relations
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See also
- Foreign relations of Japan
- Foreign relations of Turkey
- Japanese people in Turkey
- Turks in Japan
- 125 Years Memory, a 2015 Japanese-Turkish drama film commemorating Japanese-Turkish friendship
- Altaic languages
- Turanism
References
Further reading
External links
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