The port of Yokohama, drawn by Sadahide Hashimoto, 1868.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), Japan’s relations with the outside world were severely restricted and its trade largely controlled. After the major powers of the day forced the weakened shogunate to accept what came to be known as ‘unequal treaties’, Switzerland also wanted access to the new markets that were opening up in East Asia. Following a first, unsuccessful attempt in 1859, Aimé Humbert-Droz from Neuchâtel led a diplomatic mission from 1862 to 1864 that culminated in the signing of a trade agreement.

The Swiss-Japanese trade agreement was considered more balanced than other treaties. It paved the way for Switzerland to establish an official presence in the country, with consulates first in Yokohama then later in Tokyo.

The final years of the Edo period (1853–1868)

Trade and technology transfer

There were already some Swiss living in Japan – often as the holders of dual citizenship – prior to the signing of this agreement. These included François Perregaux, a French-Swiss watchmaker, and Pierre Rossier, a photographer from Fribourg, who worked for the British company Negretti & Zambra in the 1850s. A number of Swiss businesses began setting up subsidiaries in Japan from 1864. Many were involved in the import-export trade. As well as tea and silk, two staples of the Japanese export economy, machinery and watches played a key role in the exchange of goods with Switzerland.

Companies like Siber-Hegner and Favre-Brandt were at the forefront of trade between the two countries. Watchmaker Alberto Favre-Zanotti was even hired by the Japanese government as a ‘foreign advisor’ tasked with passing on the required expertise to Japanese partners. This transfer of knowledge through the export of timepieces and by watchmakers based in the country, like Favre-Zanotti, played a foundational role in the emergence of Japan’s own watchmaking industry. Demand for watches began to grow from 1873 after Japan switched from the traditional lunar calendar to the Gregorian calendar. The Swiss diaspora was able to establish itself as an important player on the import market and act as an intermediary for the Swiss watch industry. In 1896, La Suisse libérale newspaper reported on the founding of a new watch factory with the name Japan Pocket Watch Co.: “This company had several machines and the necessary tools sent from Switzerland and is run by a young Japanese gentleman who attended the watchmaking school in Le Locle for a number of years.” Hattori Kintarō, the founder of the Seiko brand, was also trained by Swiss watchmakers in Japan. The Citizen brand is likewise the result of Swiss and Japanese cooperation.

Finding community abroad

The Swiss diaspora in Yokohama was mostly made up of men hailing from an affluent social background. Diplomats, merchants, missionaries and engineers, they often occupied more than one role at the same time. The few women among them were wives, missionaries and travellers. However, many of these Swiss men and women did not stay in Japan for long. Only a very small number settled there permanently. Although they didn’t always speak the same language or share the same religious beliefs, they did develop a strong sense of shared identity. A highlight of their year was the celebration of Swiss National Day on 1 August, complete with shooting contests.

It was not the only marksmen’s festival to feature in the life of the expat community in Yokohama. There are records of an annual shooting competition held each June, which even attracted other émigrés from the West. The festival was said to be “a reminder of home that sets many a Swiss heart beating faster,” as Le Confédéré newspaper wrote in 1868.

Wartime neutrality

When the Pacific region became a theatre of the Second World War, Japan found itself increasingly isolated on the international stage. At the same time, distrust of foreigners from the West grew inside the country itself. The authorities viewed Europeans residing in Japan as a potential ‘fifth column’ capable of disrupting the nation’s war efforts. Consequently, Swiss neutrality took on a special importance. Switzerland offered Japan its good offices and represented the interests of 16 countries in Japan and Japan’s own interests in 19 other countries during this period.

The Swiss diaspora in Japan shrank in size during the Second World War. After the Allied powers bombarded the country’s ports, those who remained moved further inland, to places like Onomichi and Karuizawa.

Japan’s unconditional surrender in August 1945 and occupation by the Allies brought the system of open ports to an end. A number of factors contributed to this change: at the end of the war, the European powers had been left economically weakened, whereas Japan began to experience rapid growth again. At the same time, the country became caught up in the geopolitical order of the Cold War.

A story of global interrelations

Today, some 10,000 Swiss nationals live in Japan, mainly in the larger cities. Japan is also one of the most popular destinations for Swiss tourists. Few visible traces remain of the former international districts around the open ports. They became part of the urban fabric over time, gradually metamorphosing into normal neighbourhoods.

The history of the Swiss diaspora in Yokohama demonstrates how trade, technology transfer and diplomatic offices shaped bilateral relations. In other words, the trade in silk and watches gave rise to a little-known chapter in relations between Switzerland and Japan.

William Favre

Watches, silk and good offices: the Swiss diaspora in Japan