Ambassador Suzuki’s attendance at Oku Memorial Trophy and England vs Japan rugby matches
2024/11/24
On 24 November, Ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki attended the Oku Memorial Trophy rugby matches at Richmond Athletic Ground. Afterwards, he watched the encounter between England and Japan at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
The Oku Memorial Trophy is an annual event in memory of Ambassador Oku Katsuhiko, who was tragically killed in Iraq on 29 November 2003 during his tenure at the Japanese Embassy in the UK. Since 2004, Mr Reg Clarke, a fellow graduate from Oxford University, and former rugby teammate of Ambassador Oku, has been organising the Trophy matches every year. This year, the occasion was arranged to coincide with the Autumn International England versus Japan match.
In his address, Ambassador Suzuki declared how moved he was by the fact that many young people had paid tribute to Ambassador Oku's love of rugby, his enthusiasm for deepening relations between Japan and the UK, and his dedication to international peace through the Trophy, for which matches had been held every year. He also expressed his hope that the ties between the two countries would be further strengthened through sport, including such initiatives as the Oku Trophy and matches bringing together teams from Japan and the UK.
The Oku Memorial Trophy is an annual event in memory of Ambassador Oku Katsuhiko, who was tragically killed in Iraq on 29 November 2003 during his tenure at the Japanese Embassy in the UK. Since 2004, Mr Reg Clarke, a fellow graduate from Oxford University, and former rugby teammate of Ambassador Oku, has been organising the Trophy matches every year. This year, the occasion was arranged to coincide with the Autumn International England versus Japan match.
In his address, Ambassador Suzuki declared how moved he was by the fact that many young people had paid tribute to Ambassador Oku's love of rugby, his enthusiasm for deepening relations between Japan and the UK, and his dedication to international peace through the Trophy, for which matches had been held every year. He also expressed his hope that the ties between the two countries would be further strengthened through sport, including such initiatives as the Oku Trophy and matches bringing together teams from Japan and the UK.