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Exclusive interview with Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP           

        

Japan Matsuri, 18th September 2011

 


The Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, opened Japan Matsuri 2011 on Sunday 18th September along with Ambassador Keiichi Hayashi and Olympic and World Gold Medalist Maki Tsukada. With strong ties to Japan due to his time spent in the country as an English teacher, Mr Hunt often participates in Japanese cultural events held around the UK, including those at the Embassy of Japan, and this was the second year he had been invited to open Japan Matsuri.

In his opening speech he emphasised the friendship between the UK and Japan, and the British people’s ongoing solidarity with their Japanese counterparts after the Great East Japan Earthquake. He also spoke of his recent visit to Sendai and was particularly moved by his visit to a school on the nearby coast, which miraculously only lost one student in the tsunami disaster due to the quick thinking and bravery of its teachers.

We managed to catch up with Mr Hunt for a few questions after he had enjoyed a walk around the matsuri with his family.

 

The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP at Japan Matsuri opening ceremony
©Ariyo Femi-Sunmaila

We understand you visited Sendai during your recent visit to Japan. Could you describe what you saw there? What lessons can the rest of the world learn from Japan and its response to this disaster?

It’s obviously been an appalling tragedy, but I was very impressed with the determination I saw from the people of Sendai, and the Mayor of Sendai who I had a meeting with, to fight back. I remember after the Second World War Japan rose from the ashes with astonishing speed and amazed the world with its patience and eloquence, and I felt that there is a little bit of that spirit there now. Japan is really determined to get back on its feet as quickly as possible. And also the other thing I thought was interesting was that Japan has obviously been through a very difficult period economically, so a lot of people are saying that dealing with the earthquake and tsunami mean that Japan solves two problems at once in the immense reconstruction efforts, and also perhaps this could be the moment that gets the Japanese economy back on track as well.

You mentioned in your speech that you visited a school along the coast of Sendai that was badly damaged by the tsunami. Did you get a chance to look around the rest of the area as well?

It wasn’t a long trip but I went basically right up to the coast near the airport in Sendai, and again, it was impressive that the airport had been reopened, and I don’t think there was a single fatality on the bullet train, and as I say, real determination – it was very impressive.

You have very strong links with Japan since you lived and worked there as an English teacher, and we know that you often participate in Japanese cultural events in the UK. What aspects of this year’s Japan Matsuri have you found particularly interesting?

Kagamibiraki at Japan Matsuri Opening Ceremony

©Ariyo Femi-Sunmaila


Well actually, I love this new location - I think it’s really great. Southbank is really growing as a cultural venue for the UK, it’s becoming incredibly popular to walk along Southbank and there’s so much art and culture. We’re doing some improvements to it before the Cultural Olympiad next year, so I think it’s definitely the happening place in London. I think it’s a great new venue, and it looks like we’re going to have record crowds as well, so it’s actually going to be just like a matsuri in Japan, and it’s going to be very hard to move.

Apparently you met Mr Tsunekazu Takeda, President of the Japan Olympic Committee, while in Japan. In what ways can the UK and Japan cooperate in terms of the Olympics?

Well, I wish them every success with Tokyo’s Olympic bid, which I know they are working very hard at. I wish them success for the Japanese athletes next year. Obviously I want them to get silver medals and the British ones to get gold medals! But I do wish them every success.

JICC

 

 

 
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