CENTENARY OF THE JAPANESE IMMIGRATION INTO BRAZIL_edn1" name="_ednref1" title="">[1]

 

L. C. Vinholes

 

Just one decade ago, Brazil and Japan celebrated the centenary of the first treaty between the two countries, sign on November 5^th, 1895, the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation, aimed more strong relations between the two people allowing  the intensification of activities in the most different fields of knowledge.

 

As a result of this important document, today, in the antipodes of our earth, Brazilians and Japaneses are joining in this moment the happiness of celebrating the Centenary of the Japanese Immigration do Brazil.

 

As every body knows, was on board of the ship Kasado Maru, an icon of the relations between ours two countries that on April 26, 1908, 781 Japanese citizens departed from Kobe and, after a long journey on the sea, landed at the port of Santos, on June 18 of the same year, for the first step on Brazilian soil that bring them to the coffee plantations in San Paulo State and, after, to other corners of Brazil.

  

It is import to remember a singular event previous to the signature of the above-mentioned treaty that allowed to build the history of this last one hundred years.

  

Where everything started

 

On July 1885, the Cruiser Almirante Barroso of the Brazilian War Navy, under the commander of Admiral Custódio de Mello, fulfilling the circumnavigation trip schedule, arrived at Yokohama port for a permanence of two weeks. One of the marines on board was the 2^nd lieutenant Prince Augusto Leopoldo de Saxe Coburgo e Bragança, grandson of the Brazilian Emperor.

 

Going by train from Yokohama to Edo, previous name of Tokyo, his Highness together with Custódio de Mello and seven officials were received by the Meiji Emperor that on his welcomed speech said that he “was eager to establish with Brazil commercial and friendship relations”. The understanding between the two countries was sealed, since the scoop of the trip by the Brazilian cruiser was in accordance with the determination and hoops of the Emperor D. Pedro II, eager to intensify the relationship with friend countries and to start new contacts with other countries, including Japan.

 

This was the prelude for the signature in Paris of the above-mentioned treaty by the Brazilian emissary Gabriel de Toledo Piza and by the Minister Arasuke Sone, envoy of His Majesty the Meiji Emperor.

 

During the last one hundred years, we had many visits by Brazilian ministers and head of state to Japan and members of the Japanese Government and the Imperial House of Japan to Brazil, including the historical visit, in 1967, by His Highness Prince Akihito and his consort Princess Michiko, Emperor and Empress of today Japan.

  

Influence on the economy and culture

 

The arrival of the Japanese immigrants not only fulfilled the need of labor for the coffee plantations but, also, brought, with its language and customs, the germ of their influence in the culture and habits of the Brazilians. We cannot forget the presence of descendents of Japanese fulfilling important rolls in all fields of knowledge and in all specific segments of the labor demand of the Brazilian society, including in culture and arts and, also, in  the daily life of thousands of Brazilians. Ours dictionaries were enriched with new words, before unknown to us but today very familiar. In many of ours schools and educational institutions the Japanese language is studied with much interest and the same happens with the study of Portuguese language in Japan, in this way building a basic bridge to facilitate understanding and fraternity.

 

Cultivation of the land

 

In the first year of the immigration arrived those with much experience in dealing with the land to produce the needed goods for the daily table of every day. They made history cultivating the soil and producing the best that we expect from their effort and dedication. Later on, the families of agricultures open space to those who dominated technical knowledge much needed for the changing experimented by Brazil in the middle of last century. It was after the changing of the profile of the Japanese immigrants that the economical and financial participation of Japan in Brazil had an increment never know in the relation between the two countries. Lets remember only the joint ventures of Ishikawajima with its shipyard in Rio de Janeiro, of the ironworks of Usiminas in Ipatinga, Minas Gerais State, twin plant of the one built at the same time in Tobata in South Japan; of the automobile industry, the machines and agricultural implements and many other that had important roll in the modernization of the industrial park of Brazil.

 

More recently thousand of Brazilian “dekasegi” took the opposed road and landed in Japan, not by sea but by air, to offer their labor force to those that in the land of the Rising Sun, could take advantage. Those brave workers, the biggest foreign group in Japan, has an important roll in the nowadays relationship between our two countries.

  

Increase of the bilateral activities

 

In the second half of last century Brazil and Japan, always inspire by the ideals of the Chart of the United Nations and based on the traditional ties of friendship existing between the two people, took advantage of other agreements in order the enlarge and intensify its bilateral activities, having  special prominence the Agreement for Cultural Cooperation, dated January 11, 1861, and the Basic Agreement for Technical Cooperation, signed on September 27, 1970, this last one directly helping academic institutions of Rio Grande do Sul State.

 

The Rio Grande do Sul and, specially Pelotas where not far away of this process that brought together our two people since June 1908. Our city is proud for having a Japanese community, not numerous as we wished to have but dedicate and laborious as we expected.

 

2008, the year of the Centenary of the Japanese Immigration to Brazil, was designated by both countries as the Year of Brazil-Japan Exchange and in the list of those commemorations are expected the visit of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Japan and of His Highness Prince Naruhito, the heir of the throne of Japan who visited us in 1982, that will came again to our country in order, to commemorate together with Brazilians and Japanese of all corners, this historical moment.

 

Suzu and Pelotas

 

It is a privilege for all of us “pelotenses” to have today with us the Mayor of our sister-city, Mr. Masahiro Izumiya, its distinguished partners in this trip Mr. Eisaku Sinya, President of the Legislative Chamber, and Mr. Eishu Tanaka, Secretary of Education, to commemorate, as a family, the date of this centenary sincerely hopping prosperity for the future of our relations.

 

Let not forget that next September we will remember and commemorate the 45 year of the beginning of the friendly relationship between Pelotas and Suzu the first sister-cities between Japan and Brazil. Time pass quickly and soon other will celebrate the one hundred years of this important fraternity.

 

Long life to Brazil. Bansai! to Japan. Long life to the bilateral relations of our two countries.