Brazil is home to the largest Japanese community outside Japan, some 2.7 million people, while about 200,000 Brazilians live in Japan. The economic relationship is still catching up. Japan and Mercosur launched trade talks this year, and Tokyo is eyeing Brazil's rare earths.
Yasushi Noguchi, Japan's ambassador to Brazil since December 2025, is the latest guest of The Brazilian Report's Diplomatic Brief, a series featuring conversations with foreign diplomats about the forces that bind — and at times divide — their countries and Brazil.
A Kyoto University law graduate, Noguchi joined Japan's Foreign Ministry in 1990 and has spent much of his career on Latin America, serving in Peru and later heading the ministry's Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau. He was consul general in São Paulo from 2017 to 2020 and in San Francisco from 2022, and also served as police chief of Miyazaki Prefecture and director-general for international affairs at the Defense Ministry.
His years in São Paulo produced a bilingual book, "Reflexões sobre o Japão a partir de São Paulo, em um país longínquo" ("Reflections on Japan from São Paulo, a faraway land"), published by Intercultural in January 2025 and edited and translated by Masato Ninomiya.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
What are Japan's three main priorities in its relationship with Brazil?
The first is the international order. Some countries are trying to change the status quo unilaterally, by force. Japan and Brazil share values such as democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, so we want to work together to uphold a free and open international order based on the rule of law.
The second is the economy. We are starting negotiations on an Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and Mercosur, to boost trade and Japanese investment. The top priority is critical minerals, including rare earths. Brazil is seen as the world's second-largest rare earth power, and these minerals are vital for Japanese semiconductors, batteries, and magnets. Decarbonization is another priority, given Brazil's potential in biofuels.
The third is supporting our ties with the Nikkei community and helping with its generational transition by encouraging young Nikkei to take the lead.
Where do the Japan-Mercosur talks stand, and where do the two sides diverge?
Negotiations are only just beginning. On our side, we are very interested in lowering tariffs. Japanese automakers produce here, but they import some parts from Japan, and European companies will pay lower tariffs under the Mercosur-EU agreement. We do not want Japanese companies to be at a disadvantage. We also want faster administrative procedures, such as approvals from Anvisa [Brazil's health regulator] for pharmaceutical companies.
Mercosur mainly wants to export more agricultural products. Japan imports a lot of chicken and pork, but not Brazilian beef, because of animal health concerns. That is where we converge least, though animal health is handled in separate sanitary negotiations. Overall, the agreement is highly complementary. Japan can export competitive industrial goods, and Brazil is a very large market where Japanese companies want to grow.
Beyond agriculture, which Brazilian sectors could benefit?
Oil. Japan depends heavily on the Persian Gulf, and we are suffering from the crises in the Strait of Hormuz. Brazil, meanwhile, is the world's seventh-largest oil producer and could rise to third if it develops the Equatorial Margin. Japanese companies are interested.
Biofuels are another opportunity. Toyota makes hybrid flex vehicles that run on gasoline, ethanol and a battery. Combining Brazilian biofuels with Japanese mobility technology is something we could take to other countries.
Where does Japan's approval of Brazilian beef stand?
In April, Japan sent an inspection team to Brazil, focused on three southern states: Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná. The team is now writing its report on animal health in Brazil, which must go to Japan's food safety commission. I do not know when it will be submitted, but that is the next step. We cannot yet say when the Japanese market will open to Brazilian beef.
JOGMEC [Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security] formed a joint venture with Aclara in September. What are the bottlenecks, and is there a realistic timeline?
There is no concrete timeline. First, we hope the partnership between Aclara and JOGMEC, a Japanese government organization, moves forward on rare earth exploration. They are still studying whether it is commercially viable. If viability is confirmed, Japanese companies could invest. We know Brazil places great importance on adding value locally, and we are taking that into account. But value-added investment must be competitive. If it is too expensive, it is not profitable.
You were consul general in São Paulo. How has the community changed since then?
There are more and more Japan festivals, drawing ever larger crowds and young organizers. At the grassroots, they generate interest in Japanese culture, food, and companies across Brazil.
The community is traditionally strongest in São Paulo, including interior cities such as Bastos and Presidente Prudente, and in Paraná, from Londrina to Cascavel. Campo Grande has a strong Okinawan influence, and Okinawa soba is the city's most popular dish.
When Juscelino Kubitschek built Brasília, he invited Japanese farmers from São Paulo and Paraná to grow vegetables for the construction workers, and their descendants stayed. Even in Salvador, this year's Japan festival drew nearly 120,000 people over four days.
Both countries have waived tourist visas. How do you see the ties between the two societies?
Since the visa exemption, travel has increased, especially for Brazilians going to Japan. More than 110,000 visited last year. We have also started a working holiday visa so young Brazilians can study and work in Japan. The 200,000 Brazilians living in Japan play a big role, too. They post about Japanese nature, food, and sights for their friends back home, which makes more Brazilians want to visit. They began arriving more than 30 years ago, and integration, though difficult at first, is increasingly consolidated.
What is the biggest misconception each country has about the other?
Brazilians may think Japan is very expensive. That was true 20 or 30 years ago, but prices in Brazil have risen, and the yen is weak, so this is a good time to visit. For Japanese people, Brazil feels very far away, and some worry about public safety. But if you take care of yourself, you'll be fine.
Japan, for its part, knows little about the enormous contribution the Nikkei have made to Brazil's economic and social development, including in agriculture through PRODECER, the Cerrado development program. That is why I wrote a book about the Japanese community in Brazil when I was consul general in São Paulo.
What struck you most when you first came to Brazil?
The sheer scale of the Nikkei presence and its cultural, economic, and social influence in São Paulo. I had no idea before I arrived.
What did you miss most about Brazil after you returned to Japan?
Churrasco, feijoada, and caipirinha. There are now seven or eight Brazilian steakhouses in Japan, and they are quite popular, but not as authentic as here.
