[1][5] The first Japanese people to settle in Spain were the members of an embassy led by Hasekura Tsunenaga.

Instead of returning to Japan in 1617, six samurai remained in Coria del Río, near Seville.

The surname Japón (Spanish for "Japan") is conserved among approximately 700 inhabitants of Coria del Río, identifying them as descendants of the members of Hasekura Tsunenaga's delegation.

Since then Catalonia became the main point of Japanese business operations in Spain.

[9] As of 2001 5,167 Japanese citizens resided in Spain, with 1,189 of them in Barcelona and 87 of them in the remainder of Catalonia.

[17] Located in Tafira Baja, it opened in October 1973, making it the first Japanese school in Spain and the third-oldest in Europe.