In 1638, the harsh Sakoku policy was ordered by the Tokugawa shogunate; and by 1641, the VOC Opperhoofden in Japan had to transfer all of its mercantile operations to the small man-made island of Dejima, an island had been built for the Spaniards, but they had been forced to abandon it and all contacts with Japan.
The island had been built for the Portuguese, but they had been forced to abandon it and all contacts with Japan. 
