International Friendship Day in Japan

Today, and May 18th annually, is International Friendship Day 国際親善デー in Japan. It is unclear who started the anniversary in Japan, but the date of the anniversary comes from a commemoration of the first peace conference held on this date in 1899.

The conference was an initiative of Emperor Nicholaus II of Russia. And 26 countries participated, including Japan.  At the conference they had a "Convention on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes" and a "Convention on the Laws and Customs of Land Warfare". To commemorate this, the "International Friendship Day" was established. The purpose is to realize peace through international exchange.

However, there are no major events in Japan on this day. But each year there is a "Japan Week" related to this anniversary held in different countries. The date varies greatly year on year. This year will be the 51st occurence of the event and it is being held in Italy in November 2026.