Japan–Lithuania relations the wake of the Nazi invasion. Up to 10,000 refugees were saved from this action. There is a significant close partnership between the city of Kuji and Klaipėda, established in 1989. Japan "de facto" re-recognized Lithuania on September 6, 1991 and a month later diplomatic relations were re-established between these countries. In 1997 the Embassy of Japan was established in Vilnius and in 1998 the Embassy of Lithuania was established in Tokyo. In March 2016, Japan and Lithuania agreed to cooperate on nuclear safety. In August 2016, Training Squadron vessels of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force "Kashima", "Asagiri" and "Setoyuki"
Japan again became independent with the surrender of Japan and the Axis at the end of WWII in 1945. Despite their historical tensions, in December 2015, Japan agreed to settle the comfort women dispute with South Korea by issuing a formal apology, taking responsibility for the issue and paying money to the surviving comfort women. Today, South Korea and Japan have a stronger and more economically-driven relationship. Since the 1990s, the Korean Wave has created a large fanbase in East Asia. Japan is the number one importer of Korean music (K-pop), television (K-dramas), and films, but this was only made possible