Before the Second Italo-Ethiopian War the Japanese worked towards economic goals with the Ethiopians in attempts to expand Japan's trade with the rest of the world.

[2][3] Kuroki Tokitaro, the Vice consul in Port Said, was sent by the Japanese foreign ministry to negotiate with the Ethiopians after diplomat Sugimura Yotaro stated that they could serve as good trade clients.

Tokitaro arrived in Djibouti on November 16, 1924, and after negotiating with the Ethiopians in Addis Ababa reported that Ethiopia could fulfill Japan's cotton needs and could offer land for cultivation.

The delegation, headed by foreign minister Heruy Wolde Selassie and consisting of Teferi Gebre Mariam, Araya Abeba, and Daba Birrou, left Addis Ababa on September 30, 1931, with a Japanese diplomat and left Djibouti on October 5, to sail to Japan.

However, tense pressure from Western countries, particularly Italy, undermined the relationship due to the fears of an 'anti-white supremacy' nature behind the marriage and the arrangement was cancelled.

[12] The Italians were critical of the Japanese relations with Ethiopia while increasing military supplies in their colonies in Eritrea and Somaliland.