François Caron
![A map of Japan in François Caron's "A True Description of the Mighty Kingdoms of Japan and Siam".](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/CaronMap.jpg)
Caron is sometimes considered the first Frenchman to set foot in Japan, although he was actually born in Brussels to a family of Huguenot refugees. He only became a naturalized citizen of France when he was persuaded by Colbert to become head of the French East Indies Company, in his 60s. Thus the native-born French Dominican missionary Guillaume Courtet may have the stronger claim. Regardless, the first known instance of any Franco-Japanese relations precedes them both, being the visit of Hasekura Tsunenaga to France in 1615. Provided by Wikipedia
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Published: c1995.
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