At the Türkiye Pavilion of EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, held in Osaka, Japan, the Panel on the “101st Anniversary of Türkiye–Japan Relations” took place with the participation of a large local and foreign audience, as well as journalists, NGO representatives, and government officials.
The panel was moderated by Prof. Kılıç Buğra Kanat, Member of the Security and Foreign Policies Council of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye and Director of SETA Washington. The speakers included former Japanese Ambassadors to Ankara Nobuaki Tanaka and Yutaka Yokoi, along with Prof. Nobuo Misawa from Toyo University.
During the panel, the historical depth, contemporary reflections, and future potential of the bilateral relations between Türkiye and Japan were discussed from a multidimensional perspective. Beyond political and economic relations, cooperation in fields such as culture, art, education, tourism, and technology was addressed, along with ways to further advance the deep ties between the two countries. The panel also touched on new avenues of cooperation within the framework of Türkiye’s evolving relations with Asia and Japan’s regional vision.
The first speaker, former Japanese Ambassador to Ankara Nobuaki Tanaka, began his remarks by assessing Türkiye’s political, economic, and social transformation over the past two decades and the future of bilateral relations with Japan.
Highlighting Türkiye’s NATO membership, its relations with the EU, and its multidirectional diplomacy with China, Russia, and Middle Eastern countries, Tanaka underlined the strengthening of Türkiye’s geopolitical position. He emphasised that while Türkiye continues its relations with the West as a NATO member, it also maintains friendly ties with Russia and China, thereby enhancing its mediation capacity. Tanaka also recalled that nearly 200 events had been held during the Japan Year 2010 in Türkiye, which increased interest in Türkiye within Japan, and noted that Japanese direct investments in Türkiye had reached a remarkable level in 2010. Concluding his remarks, he stated that EXPO 2025 Osaka could serve as a new turning point in economic, cultural, and diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The second speaker of the panel, Prof. Nobuo Misawa from Toyo University, began his remarks by stating that the profound bond between the peoples of Türkiye and Japan was established following the tragic accident involving the Ertuğrul Frigate. Continuing his speech by noting that economic and cultural relations reinforce one another, Misawa emphasised that smartphones have replaced the Walkman and highlighted that Japan’s influence in Türkiye is gradually diminishing in an era where young people are unfamiliar with offset printing. In this context, Prof. Nobuo Misawa expressed his satisfaction with the organisation of the Panel on the “101st Anniversary of Türkiye-Japan Relations” and reminded the audience that economic relations should be supported by cultural and personal interactions, which would strengthen the friendship between the two nations. He further noted that relations should not be confined solely to political and economic dimensions, and the innovations showcased at EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai could serve as a cultural bridge for the future.
The final speaker of the panel, retired Ambassador Yutaka Yokoi, began his address by recalling his tenure in Türkiye between 2013 and 2016. Sharing that this period featured some of the sincerest memories of his career, Yokoi expressed his emotions by stating, “I have never witnessed in any other country that people I am not familiar with call out to say how much they love the Japanese.”
Stating that he closely observed the positive impact of the personal friendship between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe on diplomatic relations, the retired diplomat drew attention to the solidarity that emerged during the process of hosting the 2020 Olympics. Yokoi stated that Türkiye’s knowledge of the Middle East and Japan’s experience in East Asia could create significant opportunities for both countries when combined. He emphasised that Türkiye’s deep knowledge of the Middle East and Eastern Europe and Japan’s expertise in East Asia complement each other in today’s international relations. He also expressed the need for both countries to enhance this exchange of knowledge and establish new partnerships. Finally, Yokoi underscored the importance of cooperation between Türkiye and Japan, recognising the deep-rooted similarities at the heart of Eurasia, and stated that the two nations could act jointly on current issues such as the war in Ukraine as well as regional crises.
The event concluded with a video emphasising that the relations between Türkiye and Japan developed on a humanitarian and emotional foundation after the Ertuğrul Frigate, which had embarked on a goodwill visit to Japan in 1890, was caught in a typhoon and sank as a result of a tragic accident on its return journey.
