In 1908, the first migrants from Japan arrived to Uruguay and settled in the country, primarily in Montevideo.

[2] In 2001, Uruguayan President Jorge Batlle paid an official visit to Japan.

[2] Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez would pay official visits to Japan in 2009 and again in 2015.

[5] On January 6, 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Toshimitsu Motegi, paid a visit to Uruguay to mark the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

[6][7] During his stay in the country, he held meetings with his counterpart Francisco Bustillo and with President Luis Lacalle Pou.