Greetings from Ambassador Suzuki

I am Hiroshi Suzuki, new Ambassador of Japan to the United Kingdom. I would like to extend to you my sincere greetings following my recent arrival.

First and foremost, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the British people for extending their warmest welcome to Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan on the State Visit to the United Kingdom in June this year.

When I arrived at Heathrow Airport last month with my wife Eiko, returning to London after 12 years, memories crossed my mind of the time when I left Heathrow for Japan at the end of 2012.

I was Public Affairs Minister at the Embassy at that time. A general election was held in Japan in mid-December, and on the voting day I was recalled to Japan because I was designated to become Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Private Secretary. Five days later, I looked through the window over London from the plane and I vowed to myself that I would return here someday.

Subsequently, I served seven years and seven months as PM Abe's Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs, two years as Senior Deputy Foreign Minister and G7/G20 Sherpa, and two years in Delhi as Ambassador of Japan to India and Bhutan. I have finally been able to return to the UK after all these years.

My connection with the UK began with my wife's British friends. In the late 1970s, an exchange programme was started between a university run by my wife's relatives and Eton College, whereby Eton students would stay with my wife's family every summer. My wife, in turn, stayed with one of these families and was treated like a daughter by the parents, perhaps because they had four sons but no daughter of their own, and she began to spend her summers there almost every other year. After we had a daughter of our own, we also took her to stay with them, and over three generations we have shared a long family history.

In the 1990s, I also began to visit this family in the Southwest of England. The father was a Knight of Malta and a former member of the Irish Guards. He passed away just before I left the UK 12 years ago, but the mother, who is over 90 years old, is still looking after the house. I can't wait to visit her and spend time surrounded by the undulating meadows and the woods dotted within them. And, of course, I'm looking forward to enjoying a pint of ale in a nearby cosy local pub.

Another enduring connection with the UK is the Sakura Cherry Tree Project. In 2017, as a symbol of the never-changing friendship between Japan and the UK in the wake of Brexit, we started the project with Mr Keisaku Sandy Sano, then Chairman of the Japan Association in the UK, and Mr Takashi Tsukamoto, then Chairman of the Japan-British Society, to plant cherry trees across the UK. When we started, we set the target of planting 1,000 trees, but now we have planted 8,000 trees and they are blooming in many places in the UK. Before I left Japan, the three of us got together again and set a new target of planting 10,000 trees. In Japan, ‘ohanami’ is a traditional springtime event, where people enjoy parties under the cherry blossoms. I hope that British people throughout the country will similarly enjoy a day in spring by having a picnic under the cherry blossoms.

Japan and the UK are irreplaceable partners who share fundamental values and common strategic interests. With the Hiroshima Accord as our guide, I would like to work hand in hand with the British people to strongly push forward the global strategic partnership between our two countries.

Concrete progress has already been made since I took up my post. First, in the field of security, the leaders of Japan, the UK and Italy confirmed their commitment to advancing the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). Next year, I strongly hope to welcome the UK Carrier Strike Group led by HMS Prince of Wales to Japan.

In the economic field, the UK joined the CPTPP on 15th December. It has also been decided to establish Japan-UK Economic 2+2 Ministers’ Meeting. Next April, the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025 will be inaugurated, and high-level UK delegations are scheduled to visit. I hope many British people will visit and enjoy the Expo.

Next year will be one in which the British people will feel even closer to Japan. The Welsh Government will designate next year as "the Year of Wales and Japan" and a number of events are being planned. In July, the National Ballet of Japan will perform in London. From August to September, the Japanese national team will participate in the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025. In October, the Grand Sumo Tournament will be held in London. And in autumn, we will have the Japan Matsuri, when Trafalgar Square becomes all about Japan. We are all very excited and hope that you will enjoy what is waiting for you next year as much as we do.

I place great importance on youth exchange. The period young British people can stay in Japan under the Working Holiday Scheme has been doubled from one to two years. As Ambassador, I will actively promote exchange between young people because they represent the future of the Japan-UK relationship, and will make every effort to promote active exchange in many areas, including tourism, science and technology, education and regional exchange.

My wife and I are looking forward to visiting many places in the UK and meeting people in various regions. H.E. Paul Madden, the former British Ambassador to Japan, visited every corner of Japan and gained popularity with many Japanese people by tweeting a lot on Twitter (now X). We hope to become experts on the UK, just as he was an expert on Japan. Please tell us where we should visit and what we should see. We hope to travel across the UK as much as possible. We will be posting our activities on X, so please follow us @AmbJapanUK.

We look forward to meeting you in the future!