The history of relations between France and Japan goes back to the early 17th century, when the Japanese samurai and ambassador Hasekura Tsunenaga made his way to Rome landed for a few days in Saint-Tropez, creating a sensation.

In June 1996, in Lyon, as part of the G7 summit which took place thanks to the crucial role played by the Consul General of Japan, Louis Michallet, Ryutaro Hashimoto and Jacques Chirac decided to organize "The Year of Japan in France", from April 1997 to March 1998 in order to correct the superficial and sometimes inaccurate understanding of Japanese culture.

[12] In June 2005, France and Japan announced a collaboration to build the next generation supersonic commercial aircraft, a successor to the Concorde.

This has increased interest and affinity with France among Japanese people, and in recognition of her contribution, Riyoko Ikeda was awarded the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French government.

[19] Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a Japanese corporation and France's Areva began cooperating on constructing a nuclear reactor in Turkey in 2013.