From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, "Understanding! International Situation> Vol.115 Brazil-A diverse country on the other side of Japan" -

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■ "Brazil" that is close to us
In many other situations, we Japanese are in contact with "Brazil". For example, "Bossa Nova" is famous in Brazilian music, but other music that is supported by many fans, such as "Choro", which is called Brazilian jazz, and "Certanello", which is currently attracting attention in the world. there are a lot of. Furthermore, recently, the number of Brazilian restaurants offering "Churrasco (Brazilian barbecue)" and "Feijoada (simmered beans and meat)" is increasing mainly in Tokyo, and Amazon fruit drinks such as "Asai" are supermarkets. Brazilian food culture is gradually permeating Japan, such as being placed in convenience stores. In addition, while there are 57 local governments that have sister city relationships with Brazil in various parts of Japan, "Brazil Towns" have been formed in Oizumi Town, Gunma Prefecture and Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and Samba Carnivals have been formed in various parts of Japan, including Asakusa. Is being held, and exchanges at the local government level are becoming more active. Also, the recent breakthrough in Japanese soccer cannot be said without the presence of many Brazilian players and Brazilian directors, and in fact, the origin of the word "Ginza" is not "walking around Ginza" but "Ginza". "Enjoying Brazilian coffee in Brazil" may be one of the topics that makes you feel closer to Brazil.

■ Brazilian Japanese society for over 100 years
In this way, the permeation of Japanese culture into Brazilian society, despite being on the other side of the globe, is deeply related to the history of Japanese society over 100 years. Since the arrival of the first immigrant ship, Kasato Maru, in 1908, about 250,000 Japanese have moved to Brazil before and after the war. In a social environment that is tolerant of immigrants, the world's largest Japanese society with 1.6 million people, now the birth of the sixth generation, has been built here. Brazilians are very pro-Japanese, and one of the factors is that Japanese Brazilians are highly regarded for their "hardworking," "honest," and "reliable" humanities. The success of Nikkei in Brazilian society is also remarkable, and many celebrities such as politicians and intellectual professional judges and lawyers, supermodel Juliana Imai, singer Fernanda Takai, and talent Sabrina Sato. Is produced.

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■ History of exchange between Japan and Brazil
Looking at bilateral relations, Japan and Brazil have built friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1895, and are promoting cooperative relations behind the scenes, such as the United Nations Security Council Reform (G4). .. We are also promoting economic cooperation in various fields such as agriculture and infrastructure development, and have carried out a number of long-term national projects such as the Usiminas Ironworks and the Amazon Aluminum Project. Among them, the "Japan-Brazil Cerrado Agricultural Development Program" succeeded in transforming the Cerrado, which is known as the "barren land" in the Midwestern region of Brazil, into a global breadbasket, and made a leap in grain production in Brazil. Increased. In recent years, in addition to promoting cooperation in the fields of environment and disaster prevention, in terms of human resource development, Japan also cooperates with the "Science without Borders" plan promoted by the Brazilian government and hopes to be dispatched to Japan. We are accepting Brazilian international students at Japanese universities and research institutes.

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■ 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Brazil
"Brazil Pop Culture Now" (September 2008) held in the Japan-Brazil Exchange Year The topic of Brazil has been increasing in Japan over the past few years, and in the 2008 Japan-Brazil Exchange Year, Japanese people In addition to celebrating the 100th anniversary of the move to Brazil, we conducted a wide range of exchange programs between the two countries. From now on, the number of travelers from Japan to Brazil will increase toward the "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Tournament" in June 2014 and the "Rio de Janeiro Olympics and Paralympics" in August 2016, making Brazil closer to us. You will feel it. In 2015, around the time of these two major global sporting events, various commemorative projects will be held to mark the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Brazil. Japan and Brazil are distant countries, but they have a history of culture and cooperation that respect each other. It is hoped that the people of both countries will better understand each other through upcoming sporting events and commemorative events.