Japan-Belgium Relations

February 16, 2024

Basic Data

Diplomatic Relations:

  • Established in 1866 with the signing of the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation.

Japanese Nationals in Belgium:

  • Number of Japanese nationals residing in Belgium: 5,383 (Oct. 2023, Annual Report of Statistics on Japanese Nationals Overseas)

Belgian Nationals in Japan:

  • Number of Belgian nationals residing in Japan: 1,097 (Dec. 2022, Immigration Services Agency of Japan)

Trade with Japan:

  • Exports from Japan (2022): 919 billion yen
  • Imports to Japan (2022): 923 billion yen

VIP Visits

From Japan to Belgium
Year Name
1990 His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince
Prime Minister KAIFU Toshiki with his wife
Foreign Minister NAKAYAMA Taro
1991 Prime Minister KAIFU Toshiki
International Trade and Insustry Minister NAKAO Eiichi
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister KONDO Motoji
1993 Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress (twice)
1994 Prime Minister HATA Tsutomu
1996 Foreign Minister IKEDA Yukihiko
1997 Foreign Minister IKEDA Yukihiko
1999 Former Prime Minister HASHIMOTO Ryutaro
His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince and Crown Princess
2000 Foreign Minister KONO Yohei
International Trade and Industry Minister FUKAYA Takashi
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister TAMAZAWA Tokuichiro
2001 Prime Minister KOIZUMI Junichiro
2002 Foreign Minister KAWAGUCHI Yoriko
2005 Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs ONODERA Itsunori
Foreign Minister MACHIMURA Nobutaka
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs ITO Shintaro
2006 Foreign Minister ASO Taro
Minister of State for Special Missions CHUMA Koki
Parliamentary Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs IWAYA Takeshi
2007 Prime Minister ABE Shinzo
Defense Minister KYUMA Fumio
2008 Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs NISHIMURA Yasutoshi
2009 Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs NISHIMURA Yasutoshi
2010 Prime Minister KAN Naoto
2011 State Minister in charge of Financial and Postal Issues JIMI Shozaburo
Foreign Minister MATSUMOTO Takeaki
Prime Minister KAN Naoto
2013 State Minister for Foreign Affairs MATSUYAMA Masaji
2014 Prime Minister ABE Shinzo
Her Majesty the Empress
2015 Foreign Minister KISHIDA Fumio
2016 State Minister of Foreign Affairs MUTO Yoji
Prime Minister ABE Shinzo
2017 Prime Minister ABE Shinzo
2018 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology HAYASHI Yoshimasa
2022 Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio (G7 summit meeting)
Minister for Foreign Affairs HAYASHI Yoshimasa (NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting)
2023 Minister for Digital Transformation KONO Taro
Minister for Foreign Affairs HAYASHI Yoshimasa (NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting)
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry NISHIMURA Yasutoshi
Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs TAKAGI Kei
Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio (Summit meeting, Japan-EU Summit)
State Minister for Foreign Affairs TSUJI Kiyoto
2024 Minister for Digital Transformation KONO Taro
State Minister for Foreign Affairs TSUGE Yoshifumi
From Belgium to Japan
Year Name
1990 Their Majesties King Baudouin and the Queen Fabiola
Deputy Prime Minister Dehaene
1991 Deputy Prime Minister Claes
1992 Their Majesties King Baudouin and the Queen Fabiola
Foreign Minister Claes
1993 His Royal Highness Prince Albert
Prime Minister Dehaene
1994 His Royal Highness Crown Prince Philippe
1996 Their Majesties King Albert and Queen Paola
Foreign Minister Derycke
1997 His Royal Highness Crown Prince Philippe
1998 Deputy Prime Minister Di Rupo
1999 His Royal Highness Crown Prince Philippe
2000 Their Royal Highness Crown Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde
2001 Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
2002 Finance Minister Didier Reynders
Their Royal Highness Crown Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde
Minister, attached to the Foreign Minister Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck
2003 His Royal Highness Prince Laurent
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
2005 His Royal Highness Crown Prince Philippe
Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
Finance Minister Didier Reynders
2006 Chief of Defence August Van daele
2008 Economy and Administrative Simplification Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne
2010 Prime Minister Yves Leterme
Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere
2011 Minister-President of the Government of Flanders Kris Peeters
2012 Their Royal Highness Crown Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilde
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders
Minister-President of the Walloon Region Rudy Demotte
Finance Minister Steven Vanackere
2013 Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid
2014 Her Royal Highness Princess Maria Laura
2015 Prime Minister Charles Michel, Vice-Prime Minister and Employment
Economy and Consumers Minister Kris Peeters
State Secretary of the Brussels-Capital Region for Foreign Trade Cécile Jodogne
2016 Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde
Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region Vervoort
Minister-President of the Flanders Bourgeois
Minister-President of the French Community Demotte
Minister-President of the Walloon Region Magnette
State Secretary of the Brussels-Capital Region for Foreign Trade Cécile Jodogne
2017 President of the Chamber of Representatives Siegfried Bracke
2018 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Didier Reynders
2019 Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde
2022 President of the Senate Stephanie D'Hose (the state funeral for former Prime Minister ABE)
Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid
Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions Hadja LAHBIB,
State Secretary for Digitization Mathieu Michel
Minister-President of The Government of Flanders and Flemish Minister for Foreign Policy
Culture, Digitalisation and Facilities, Jan Jambon
State Secretary of the Brussels-Capital Region Pascal Smet
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