UK and Japan: A Leading Strategic Partnership for Global Prosperity and Security

GREAT campaign launch in Tokyo today

On the occasion of the British Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to Japan this week, the governments of the UK and Japan have issued a Joint Statement setting out the terms and ambitions of the future relationship between the two:

As the Prime Ministers of Japan and the UK, we are committed to promoting global prosperity and security, based on the shared values of democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the market economy. We also have a shared responsibility to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. We reconfirm the distinctive importance of the leading strategic partnership that exists between the UK and Japan. Japan and the UK are each other’s most important partners in Asia and Europe, respectively.

We commend the resilience of the Japanese people after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011 and subsequent nuclear accident. The strength demonstrated by the people of Japan in the face of such hardship gives both leaders confidence in Japan’s renewal through reconstruction, and that Japan will continue to contribute as strongly as ever to international prosperity and security. Japan appreciates the support and solidarity extended by the British people, companies and Government in recovering from the tragic events. The UK appreciates Japan’s hosting of the High-Level International Conference on Large-Scale Natural Disasters in July in the disaster-stricken Tohoku area.

Recognising the importance of ties among the people of both countries, we reaffirm the valuable contribution which the JET programme and the Youth Mobility Scheme have been making to our bilateral relationship. We will cooperate to increase the number of students going in both directions through such schemes as a new one managed by the British Council, which will enhance research collaboration, mobility and skills among universities in the UK and Japan. We renew our support for “the Japan-UK 21st Century Group,” an important annual forum consisting of prominent people in a range of fields.

We hope that the London Olympic and Paralympic Games will be a great success, serving as an excellent opportunity to further deepen the bonds between Japan and the UK. Hosting the Olympics is an opportunity to realise sporting hopes and dreams and the UK wishes Tokyo well in its bid to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

You can read the statement in full here (Prime Minister of Japan website).

Destination Tohoku

Last week the Destination Tohoku campaign commenced as the tourism promotion vehicle for the region affected by the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, with the hope of local authorities and the region’s tourism industry that such efforts can lure visitors back to the disaster-hit region as part of its recovery.

The ¥800m campaign, which runs through to the end of March 2013, aims to showcase the abundant riches of local charms such as hot springs, festivals, shopping, local food, cherry blossoms, and secure the support of domestic tourism also, for instance from school excursions and business events.

The campaign divides the Tohoku region into 28 tourism zones, including Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture, Hanamaki/Tono in Iwate Prefecture, Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture, Shonai in Yamagata Prefecture, and Fukushima, with the northernmost zone as Shimokita, Aomori Prefecture, and the southernmost Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture. Visitors are welcomed on arrival in each zone, often near to JR stations, and given all relevant information and assistance required. They are also encouraged to visit as many zones as possible via a Tohoku Passport, which not only provides discounts in selected attractions but also acts as rewards system with gifts.

As well as hopefully stimulating the regional economy, the Destination Tohoku campaign is also viewed by the Japan Tourism Agency as a means to gather much-needed data on visitor perceptions and footfall, which can then be used to both enhance the visitor experience and work up future strategies for tourism promotion throughout the rest of the country.

You can visit the official site for more information. 

The Appeal of Mino Washi

Monday, 2 April 2012
6:00 – 7:30pm
Followed by a drinks reception to 8:00pm
Admission free, book here

Daiwa Foundation Japan House
13/14 Cornwall Terrace, Outer Circle
London NW1 4QP MAP
Nearest Station: Baker Street

Mino washi (traditional Japanese paper from Mino City) has a proud tradition of more than 1,300 years and has a fine fibre texture that is highly regarded as beautiful and robust. Mino washi is made from the raw material kozo (a native Japanese mulberry tree), and carefully processed without the use of chemicals with skilled craftsmen using traditional and time honoured processes, such as drying out in the sun.

Satoshi Hasegawa is an artisan manufacturing paper in Mino City in Gifu Prefecture. The technique he uses to make washi, is a traditional process native to the Mino region using domestic materials. His main product is the high quality ‘Usu Mino Thin Paper’ which is widely used to repair ancient cultural treasures such as manuscripts and texts in art galleries and museums at home and abroad.

Upon receiving a commission from the Ruthin Craft Centre where his skills are highly valued, Mr Hasegawa has supplied the centre with 600 sheets of Mino washi for the creation of a sculptural space at the exhibition, Japanese Style: Sustaining Design. The exhibition will take place at the Ruthin Craft Centre in Wales from 1 April to 24 June 2012 (www.japanseasonwales.com).

Mr Hasegawa believes “Paper in itself may just be a material, but it is my ongoing mission to continue and develop this work, and to connect the tradition with the next generation”.

This special event at Daiwa Foundation Japan House will begin with opening remarks from Mr Kazuyoshi Kano, Vice Mayor of Mino City and Mr Akira Watanabe, Executive Director, Department of Industry Promotion, Mino City.

JAPAN NEXT Campaign Comes to London One Year On From 3/11

The Government of Japan has been holding various events and festivals all over the world since December 2011 as part of JAPAN NEXT campaign, which will take place through March.  The campaign is designed to express Japan’s gratitude to the world for its support for the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11 2011 (3/11) and showcase Japan’s recovery through introduction of Japan’s proud culture and technology which are often referred to as ’Cool Japan.’

In the UK, two events will be held as part of JAPAN NEXT campaign from 14 to 18 March 2012 in London, showing Japan’s gratitude and introducing the appeal of Japanese food. Events will have a theme of ‘ARIGATO’, the Japanese expression for ‘thank you’.

From 14 to 18 March will be “Tasting JAPAN WEEK” to offer a Tasting Japan experience at Westfield Stratford City, with Japanese food and Japanese alcohol. The IBA World Cocktail Champion Takafumi Yamada will be on hand to create delicious concoctions, including ‘Great Sunrise’ for which he won the World Cocktail of the Year with hope for Japan’s recovery from 3/11 and a specially created cocktail ‘ARIGATO’ for ‘thanking’ the world for its support following last March. Arranged Japanese food will also be on offer for tasting, to show how easily Japanese food can be cooked at home and introduce the sensitivity of taste and the art of cuisine.

As part of the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival on Sunday 18 March, Japanese performers including Maikos, Geisha and Japanese traditional instrument performers, as well as Japanese nationals living in the UK from Wakayanagi school of Japanese dancing dressed in traditional Kimonos will take part in the ARIGATO parade.

There will also be an ARIGATO stall at the Trafalgar Square festival displaying panels and videos to thank the world for its support to Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami, and to introduce the appeal of Japanese food, products and traditional culture.

Tasting JAPAN WEEK (Gallery North, Westfield Stratford City) will take place 14-18 March, at the following times:

• 14-17 March: 11.00 to 19.00
• 18 March: 12.00 to 18.00

The central London ARIGATO Parade on 18 March 2012 starts at noon and will last for two hours, while the ARIGATO stall in Trafalgar Square will be open noon-8pm.

Visit to Southampton and Folkestone

JLGC received more visitors from Japan this week, this time from the port sales division of Nagasaki City.  JLGC staff accompanied the visitors to Southampton and Folkestone on the English southern coast, where they met representatives of Cunard and Saga cruise lines to discuss Nagasaki’s future port expansion plans as defined by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

‘Immerse yourself in Tokyo cool’

JLGC will be at this year’s Hyper Japan, where visitors can get a taste of regional culture from Japan. The event is the largest J-culture festival in the UK and as well as being able to “immerse yourself in Tokyo cool”, visitors can also learn more about the recovery of the Tohoku region affected by the 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami.

Hyper Japan will be held 24-26 February at Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London.

The event is supported by the Embassy of Japan in the UK, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Japan Foundation and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO). JLGC will be appearing alongside JNTO.

Koshu Class

For the third year running, producers of Koshu wine will be in London this week to promote their product to UK consumers and retailers.

The event is sponsored by Koshu of Japan (KOJ), established in 2009 by 15 wine producers in Yamanashi Prefecture, with aim of marketing Koshu wines in Europe. The Koshu grape is a white varietal exclusive to Japan. In April 2010, the grape varietal was registered by the Paris-based International Organization of Vine and Wine. The registration qualified KOJ producers to use the brand name Koshu on bottle labels when they are exported to the European Union, which led to the first Koshu shipment to London in July 2010.

A Koshu Wine promotion event for buyers will be held 10:30-17:00 on 22 February at London’s Imagination Gallery, with an event for invited media on the 21st. The Koshu wine promotion trip to Europe will be attended by Seiji Onuma, Vice Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture and Atsushi Tanabe, Mayor of Koshu.

You can also read about previous Koshu promotion events in London here.

Tokyo Declaration on a Partnership Between Intercultural Cities

A symposium on Intercultural City Encounters Europe-Asia was organised in Tokyo on 18-19 January by the Council of Europe and the Japan Foundation. The 200 participants included nine Mayors from European, Japanese and Korean cities, European, Japanese and Korean experts and directors of specialist integration departments of invited cities. The symposium and associated events explored the potential of leveraging cultural diversity for community building in European, Japanese and Korean contexts, and compared intercultural policies, good practices and challenges.

Participants included Yasutomo SUZUKI, Mayor of Hamamatsu City, Japan; Hiroko NAKAYAMA, Mayor of Shinjuku City, Japan; Tadayoshi MATSUBARA, Mayor of Ota City, Japan; MOON Seok-Jin, Mayor of Seodaemun City in Seoul, Korea; YEOM, Tae Young, Mayor of Suwon City, Korea; JUNG, Seung-Bong, Deputy Mayor of Ansan City, Korea; António COSTA, Mayor of Lisbon City, Portugal; Franco CORRADINI, Deputy Mayor of Reggio Emilia, Italy; Katarina BERGGREN, Mayor of Botkyrka, Sweden.

The event was supported by the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

Japan Foundation website
Japan Foundation press release (PDF)
Tokyo Declaration (PDF)

Gagging for Gyoza

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (CLAIR’s sponsor ministry) each year issues statistics on household consumption for all prefectural capitals and designated cities.

One telling statistic this year revealed that the average household of two or more people in Hamamatsu spent 4,313 yen ($56) on gyoza last year, exceeding the 3,737 yen spent by each household in Utsunomiya, thus depriving Utsonomiya of its crown as gyoza consumption capital of Japan. In previous years Hamamatsu had ranked second to quake-hit Utsonomiya.

The full survey results are available on the ministry’s website.

Smart cities in Asia

The UK’s investment agency UKTI has this week launched its report Smart cities of the future in Asia: The opportunities for UK business as part of its Explore Asia campaign. The report analyses a number of cities, in terms of ‘smart development’, across ten high-growth markets in Asia: Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The report highlights significant business opportunities for UK companies across a number of sectors including; buildings and the environment, education, energy, health, digital media, and transport – taking into account how British expertise could be deployed to meet each opportunity. It asserts that increased urbanisation around the world has created a broad range of both challenges and opportunities which require a reassessment of the way in which cities are planned and resources and opportunities are shared. It is in this context that the concept of a “Smart City” has emerged as a route to better quality and more sustainable living, UKTI suggests.

Its key findings are:

• In Asia, there is a wide variation in the stage of development of Smart Cities both within and between countries. Cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo can already be considered to be smart, whilst conurbations in Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, for example, are behind the curve in terms of their current status but are evolving quickly.
• It is notable that both Japan, the most advanced Smart market, and Indonesia, which is firmly in the second group, are developing 4G LTE mobile networks. The difference – and this is a trend that repeats itself across the themes – is that the former is a network upgrade whereas the latter is closer to a green field roll out with the country effectively “skipping a cycle” in its infrastructure development.
• Tokyo and Seoul are the most advanced cities and require highly advanced technological solutions across a broad range of themes. Despite a relative lack of English language skills and a historical preference for working with local companies or consortia, the sheer breadth of the opportunity, together with tendency in each market to “test” smart solutions in areas outside of the capital, provides additional market options to UK business.

The report also mentions the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) five-year master plans for demonstration of Next Generation Energy and Social System launched in August 2010.  Each of the four demonstration areas (Yokohama City, Toyota City, Kansai Science City and Kitakyushu City) has different initiatives to promote smart grid and demonstrate smart community.  Finally, it notes that Kashiwa-no-ha Campus City (Chiba Prefecture) has aims to be a “smart city”, “healthy long-life city” and “new industry creation city”, as well as the existence of several early stage smart city projects aimed at recovery in the quake-hit Tohoku region, citing the opportunities for UK businesses to demonstrate their expertise in these projects.

You can download the report from here.