<P> Since the 1549 arrival to Kagoshima (Kyushu) of a group of Jesuits with St. Francis Xavier missionary and Portuguese traders, Spain was interested in Japan . In this first group of Jesuit missionaries were included Spaniards Cosme de Torres and Juan Fernandez . </P> <P> In 1611, Sebastián Vizcaíno surveyed the east coast of Japan and from the year of 1611 to 1614 he was ambassador of King Felipe III in Japan returning to Acapulco in the year of 1614 . In 1608, he was sent to search for two mythical islands called Rico de Oro (island of gold) and Rico de Plata (island of silver). </P> <P> In 1578 the Saadi sultan Ahmad al - Mansur, contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I, defeated Portugal at the Battle of Ksar El Kebir, beating the young king Sebastian I, a devout Christian who believed in the crusade to defeat Islam . Portugal had landed in North Africa after Abu Abdallah asked him to help recover the Saadian throne . Abu Abdallah's uncle, Abd Al - Malik, had taken it from Abu Abdallah with Ottoman Empire support . The defeat of Abu Abdallah and the death of Portugal's king led to the end of the Portuguese Aviz dynasty and later to the integration of Portugal and its empire at the Iberian Union for 60 years under Sebastian's uncle Philip II of Spain . Philip was married to his relative Mary I cousin of his father, due to this, Philip was King of England and Ireland in a dynastic union with Spain . </P> <P> As a result of the Iberian Union, Phillip II's enemies became Portugal's enemies, such as the Dutch in the Dutch--Portuguese War, England or France . War with the Dutch led to invasions of many countries in Asia, including Ceylon and commercial interests in Japan, Africa (Mina), and South America . Even though the Portuguese were unable to capture the entire island of Ceylon, they were able to control its coastal regions for a considerable time . </P>

Who were some of the early spanish explorers