The objectives of this dissertation are to investigate the diplomatic and trade relations between the Spanish Philippines and Japan from 1585 to 1623, and to analyze the effects of these relations upon the history of the Philippines.

Past studies of this subject are extremely scarce, and these, with few exceptions, contain errors of fact and interpretation, several of which have continued to appear within the past decade. I believe the conclusions and questions presented in this dissertation will aid in clarifying some of these errors.