The Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Bilateral relations between the two countries in the early days have mainly been in the religious and cultural spheres. These traditional bonds were developed into more valued political and economic ties in the latter half of the last century.
Sri Lanka was one of the nine Asian countries that participated in the San Francisco Peace Conference in Japan which was held in September 1951. Then Finance Minister, J.R. Jayawardena’s speech on behalf of the GoSL at the conference urging the participating countries to accept Japan into the comity of nations without any reparation in the spirit of the Buddha’s teaching continues to be deeply appreciated by Japan.
Sri Lanka and Japan established Diplomatic Relations shortly after the signing of the Peace Treaty. A Japanese Mission was set up in Colombo in February 1952 and in May 1953 Sri Lanka established a Legation in Tokyo.
The year 2012 marked the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of the Diplomatic Relations between the two countries.
Bilateral visits between the two countries
Sri Lanka to Japan
Hon. A.C.S. Hameed, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, February 1994
President Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunga, May 1996
Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Opposition Leader of Sri Lanka, March 1998
Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksha, Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, September 1998
The late Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Foreign Minister, October 2000
Hon. G.L. Peiris attended the 50th Anniversary celebrations of Bilateral Relations in Japan 2002
Hon. Tyronne Fernando, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, November 2002
Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minster, December 2002 and June 2003
Hon. Milinda Moragoda, Minister of Economic Reform of Sri Lanka, (special Envoy to the PM), November 2003
Visit of Hon. Speaker, 2004
Hon. Milinda Moragoda, Minister of Economic Reform, February 2004
Hon. Vijitha Herath, Minister of Cultural Affairs and National Heritage, May 2004
Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, November 2004
Hon. Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Finance and Planning, February 2005
Hon. Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Finance and Planning, September 2005
Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs, May 2006
Hon. Basil Rjapaksa, Advisor to H.E. the President, February 2007
Hon. Speaker and his delegation 12 to 17th March 2007
Hon. Anura Bandaranayake, Minister of National Heritage, May 2007
Visit of Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, 26th to 29th June 2007
H.E. the President, Mahinda Rajapakse, 9-11 December 2007
Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Disaster management and Human Rights, August 2008
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, September 2008
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ratnasiri Wickremanayake , October 2008
Hon. G.L. Peiris, Minister of Export Development & Trade , May 2009
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka, September 2009
Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, July 2010
Hon. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, July 2010
Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Plantation Industries, November 2011
Hon. Sarath Amunugama, Senior Minister of International Monetary Cooperation, June 2011
Hon. Naveen Dissanayake, Minister of Public Management Reforms, January 2012
Hon. Namal Rjapaksa, Member of Parliament and Special Envoy of H.E. the President visited Tokyo from 08th to 13th March 2012
Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development visited Tokyo from 22nd to 30th 2012
Hon. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs, visited July 2012
Official Visit of H.E. the President to Japan, 12th to 15th March 2013
Visit of Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Water Supply and Drainage to Japan, from 10-12 June 2013
Visit of Hon. Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development, from 25th September , 2nd October 2013
Hon. Susil Premajayantha, Minister of Environment and Renewable Energy, October 2013
Visit of Hon. Keheliya Rambukwella, Minister of Mass Media in March 2014
Visit of Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, MP, Speaker from 27th March to 7th April 2014
Visit of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary of Defence and Urban Development in June 2014
Visit of Dr. P.B. Jayasundara, Secretary to the Treasury in June 2004
Visit of Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Minister of International Monetary Cooperation and Hon. Faizer Mustapa, Deputy Minister of Investment Promotion in June 2014
Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs, June 2015
Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, Minister of Finance, July 2015
Official visit of Hon.Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs to Japan from 17th to 20th June 2015
Official working visit of Hon. Ranil Wicremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to Japan from 3rd to 7th October 2015
Visit of H.E. the President Maithripala Sirisena to Japan for the Outreach Session of G7 Summit from 26th to 27th May 2016
Visit of Hon. Ranil Wicremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to Japan from 10rd to 16th April 2017
H.E. Maithripala Sirisena, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, visited Japan in March to attend the Outreach Meeting of the G7 Ise-Shima Summit in March 2018.
Visit to Japan by Hon. Namal Rajapaksa, Minister of Youth and Sports and the Delegation for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 21-26 July 2021
Official Visit of H.E Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to Japan from 26th to 28th September 2022
Hon. Manusha Nanayakkara, Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment of the Domestic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, visited Japan from 27th September to 04th October 2022
Japan to Sri Lanka
Hon. Toshiki Kaifu, Japanese Prime Minister, May 1990
Hon. Toshiki Kaifu, former Prime Minister, (Ambassador on Special Mission to the funeral of President R. Premadasa), May 1993
Hon. Keizo Obuchi, President of Japan Sri Lanka Parliamentarians’ League, November,1993
Hon. Yasuo Fukuda, House of Representative member, Special envoy to the State funeral of former President J.R. Jayawardena, November 1996
Hon. Housei Norota, Special Envoy of the Prime Minister, August 2000
Hon. Yasuo Fukuda, Special Envoy, October 2000
Hon. Yasuo Fukuda for the State Funeral of Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranayake as a Special Envoy, 2001
Japanese Parliamentary delegation led by Hon. Housei Norota, Chairman of Japan – Sri Lanka Parliamentarians’ League visited Sri Lanka to mark the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic relations 2002
Ambassador Yashushi Akashi visited Sri Lanka frequently between 2002-2005 as a Special Envoy of the Government of Japan, in connection with the peace process. The last visit was from 5-9 June 2007.
Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Representative of the Japanese Government on Peace Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Sri Lanka, November 2002
Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Representative of the Japanese Government on Peace Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Sri Lanka, January 2003
Hon. Mrs. Yoriko Kawguchi, Foreign Minister of Japan, January 2003
Hon. Tetsuro Yano, Senior Vice Foreign Minister, July 2003
Hon. Ichiro Aisawa, Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, June 2004
Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Representative of the Japanese Government on Peace Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Sri Lanka, January 2004
Hon. Keishiro Fukushima, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, December 2004
Hon. Shuzen Tamigawa, Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, January 2005
Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Representative of the Japanese Government on Peace Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Sri Lanka, February 2005
Hon, Ichiro Aizawa, Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, June 2005
Hon. Keshiro Fukushima, Parliamentary Vice- Minister for Foreign Affairs, August 2005
Hon. Yukio Hatoyama, MP and Shadow Foreign Minister of the Opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) led a four member delegation, February 2005
Hon. Daijiro Hasimoto, Governor ouch Prefecture, October 2005
Hon. Fumiu Kvuma, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan ,March 2006
Hon. Yasuo Fukuda, former Chief Cabinet Secretary and President of the Japan-Sri Lanka Association, April 2006
Hon. (Dr.) Kiyohiko Toyama, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of South Asia (No. 03 Foreign Minister) July 2006
Hon. Kiyoshi Nakano, Senior Vice Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, (Deputy Health, Labour & Welfare Minister) , August 2006
A Parliamentary delegation of three persons comprising Hon. Tetsuro Yano, (Head of Delegation), Hon. Akira Gunji, Hon. Hisashi Kazma, all Members of House of Councillors visited Sri Lanka from 23rd to 25th August, 2007
Hon. Housei Norota MP, President Japanese- Sri Lanka Parliamentarians’ League and the delegation visited Sri Lanka from 22nd to 26th August 2008
Hon. Yasuo Fukuda, MP Former Prime Minister of Japan to attend the opening ceremony of the Sigiriya Museum built with Japanese aid- July 2009
Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Special Envoy of the Japanese Government, January 2009
Hon. Chinami Nishimura, Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, October 2009
Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Special Envoy of the Japanese Government June 2010
Makiko Kikuta, Parliamentary Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs June 2011
Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Special Envoy of the Japanese Government, November 2011
Hon. Katsuya Okada, Deputy Prime Minister of Japan May 2012
Visit of Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Special Representative of the Japanese Government to Sri Lanka from 21-26 August 2012
Visit of Hon. Taro Aso, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Mafam Yuko Obuchi Deputy Minister of Finance visited Sri Lanka from 1st and 2nd May 2013
Visit of Hon. Yoshitaka Shindo, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communication of Japan from 28th to 29th July 2013
Visit of Her Imperial Highness (HIH) Princess Tsuguko of Takamadoto Sri Lanka on 20th August 2013
Visit of Hon. Minoru Kiuchi, Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, 12th 13th September 2013
Visit of Hon. Yasushi Akashim Special Representative of the Japanese Government to Sri Lanka from 8-13 December 2013
Visit of Hon. Makita Shimokawa, Deputy Director-General Asian & Oceanian Affairs Bureau, 16th – 17th January 2014
Hon. Yasushi Akashi, Representative of the Japanese Government on Peace Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Sri Lanka, January 2014
President of Nippon Foundation Mr. Yohei Sasakawa visited Sri Lanka onn 7th May 2014
Visit of Vice Minister of Foreign Relations, Hon. Seiji Kihara from 9th May 2014
Visit of Hon. Kazuyoshi Akaba, State Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan from 27th to 29th July 2014
Visit of members of Japan – Sri Lanka Parliamentary League, led by Hon. Masahiko Komura, Vice President of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan from 31st July to 2nd August 2014
Visit of Hon. Manabu Sakai, Parliamentary Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism of Japan from 18th to 21st August 2014
Official Visit by the Japanese Prime Minister, H.E. Shinzo Abe on 7th to 8th September 2014
Hon. Minoru Kiuchi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, March 2015
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi Meets with the State Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs of Sri Lanka 21 December 2016.
Visit of Hon. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs, to Sri Lanka in January 5 2018.
Hon. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, visited Sri Lanka from December 12 to 14 2019
Hon. Satoshi Fujimaru, State Minister of the Cabinet Office of Japan, visited Sri Lanka from 10 to 11 January 2023
Hon. TAKEI Shunsuke, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, visited Sri Lanka from 2 - 5 February 2023
