Japan

Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and Japan were established on 26 January 1992. In 2017, President Lukashenko and Prime Minister Abe of Japan exchanged congratulatory messages on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Belarus was opened in Minsk in January 1993. In 2018, Japan decided to upgrade its diplomatic mission in Belarus appointing the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Belarus.

The Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Japan was opened in Tokyo in June 1995.

In 1998 the President of the Republic of Belarus, President of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko visited Japan during the XVIII Winter Olympic Games in Nagano.

In 1999, a delegation led by Head of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich visited Tokyo.

Belarus and Japan have been actively cooperating in the UN and other international organizations. Bilateral consultations between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries and visits by the heads of foreign ministries to Minsk and Tokyo contribute to effective cooperation in this area.

Cooperation between the legislative bodies of the Republic of Belarus and Japan is developing dynamically. The basis for interaction in this direction is the friendship groups created in the parliaments of the two countries. In 2000 a delegation of the House of Councilors of the Japanese Parliament visited Belarus, in 2001 a delegation of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus visited Japan.

In 2018, a Japanese delegation led by H. Watanabe, chairman of the special committee on regional reconstruction of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Parliament, head of the Japan-Belarus inter-parliamentary friendship group, visited Belarus. As part of the visit Mr. Watanabe met with Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich.

Ambassador of Belarus to Japan Ruslan Yesin met with Speaker of the House of Councilors of the Diet of Japan Date as well as with Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Diet of Japan Oshima to give additional impetus to the inter-parliamentary cooperation. With the support of the Belarusian and Japanese parliamentarians in April 2019 for the first time in the history of bilateral relations the Days of Culture of the Republic of Belarus in Japan were held. The format of the event was used to hold meetings of Irina Dorofeyeva, a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, with Japanese parliamentarians.

A representative delegation from Japan visited Minsk during the II European Games in June 2019. Japan's Minister of Reconstruction Watanabe and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan Sonora attended the official events of the sports festival. President Lukashenko discussed the state of bilateral relations with Watanabe. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Makei exchanged opinions with Sonora about the prospects of the development of Belarusian-Japanese interaction.

Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus Vaschenko visited Japan in 2012. During the visit an agreement on cooperation in overcoming the consequences of accidents at nuclear power plants was signed between the government of the Republic of Belarus and the government of Japan. In December 2019, Minister Vaschenko paid a working visit to Japan to discuss further development of bilateral cooperation.

In 2018, at the invitation of the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus Malashko visited Tokyo and Osaka, during which the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan was signed.

The mechanism of consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs was established. Another round of consultations at the level of the chief political officers was held in Minsk in February 2020. A Joint Committee for implementing the intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of overcoming the consequences of accidents at nuclear power plants is created.

In November 2021, the office of the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Belarus was opened in Hokkaido Prefecture.

On November 9-10, 2021, the Belarus-Hokkaido Forum was held in Hakodate and Noboribetsu. The event was supported by the Embassy of Belarus in Japan, the Ostrovets and Mstislav District Executive Committees, the National Agency for Investment and Privatization, the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as the Hokkaido Prefectural Administration, the city authorities of Hakodate and Noboribetsu, regional chambers of commerce and industry, and public organizations. Significant events included the transfer of capsules containing soil from the atomic bomb-damaged cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the crypt of the Church of All Saints in Minsk in July 2021, and the donation of Belarusian potash minerals to the Okinawa Peace Park in December 2021.

In January 2025, H. Watanabe, as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, was a foreign (international) observer at the presidential elections in the Republic of Belarus. Source: https://japan.mfa.gov.by/ru/bilateral_relations/political/japan/ © When using site materials, a link to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus is required.