Relationship dossier
Turkey
Japan
Relationship assessment
Turkey and Japan maintain a cooperative strategic partnership with ties in infrastructure and investment.
Turkey toward Japan
+35Turkey formalized a strategic partnership with Japan in 2013 and pursued cooperation on a planned nuclear power project at Sinop with Japanese partners. The project was subsequently abandoned.
Japan toward Turkey
+35Japan has supported infrastructure development in Turkey, including financing for the Marmaray rail project, and joined Turkey in formalizing a strategic partnership in 2013.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a cooperative foundation, reflected in the 2013 strategic partnership and Japanese participation in major infrastructure and energy plans in Turkey. The abandonment of the Sinop nuclear project illustrates limits to the partnership; the available examples support cooperation but not an exceptionally close alignment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Turkey and Japan have developed a cooperative relationship, formalized as a strategic partnership in 2013. Bilateral cooperation includes Japanese-backed infrastructure investment in Turkey and a planned nuclear power project that was later abandoned. These concrete ties support a positive assessment, though the scope and implementation of cooperation are not fully clear.
Key developments
Turkey and Japan elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership.
Japan-backed financing supported construction of the Marmaray rail link in Turkey.
Turkey and Japanese partners pursued a nuclear power project at Sinop, which was later abandoned.
Major uncertainties
- The present scope of bilateral cooperation and the implementation of strategic-partnership commitments are unclear.
- The extent of current investment and infrastructure cooperation is uncertain.