Chargé d'affaires Ikegami’s attendance at a lunch event hosted by the British-Japanese Parliamentary Group (BJPG)
2025/11/11
On 11 November, Chargé d'affaires ad interim Masaki Ikegami attended a lunch event hosted by the British-Japanese Parliamentary Group (BJPG) at the UK Parliament to exchange views on the bilateral relations, especially in the field of security and defence cooperation.
In his speech, Chargé d'affaires Ikegami reflected that the Japan–UK relationship today is stronger than ever, citing numerous examples of successful cooperation in the field of defence and security such as bilateral defence ministerial meetings, steady progress in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the port call of the HMS Prince of Wales to Tokyo, and the visit of F-15 fighter jets to the UK, and expressed his expectation that the relationship would be further enhanced under the new Japanese administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The lunch event was attended by a wide range of participants, including Viscount Trenchard, Co-Chair of the BJPG; David Taylor MP, Vice Chair of the BJPG; Derek Twigg MP, member of the Defence Committee in the House of Commons; Lord Speller, former Vice Chair of the BJPG; Sharon Hodgson MP, UK Trade Envoy for Japan; as well as other cross-party members of both Houses of Parliament. Also in attendance were Japanese and British organisations and companies, who discussed the promotion of the growing Japan-UK partnership in the fields of defence and security.
In his speech, Chargé d'affaires Ikegami reflected that the Japan–UK relationship today is stronger than ever, citing numerous examples of successful cooperation in the field of defence and security such as bilateral defence ministerial meetings, steady progress in the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), the port call of the HMS Prince of Wales to Tokyo, and the visit of F-15 fighter jets to the UK, and expressed his expectation that the relationship would be further enhanced under the new Japanese administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The lunch event was attended by a wide range of participants, including Viscount Trenchard, Co-Chair of the BJPG; David Taylor MP, Vice Chair of the BJPG; Derek Twigg MP, member of the Defence Committee in the House of Commons; Lord Speller, former Vice Chair of the BJPG; Sharon Hodgson MP, UK Trade Envoy for Japan; as well as other cross-party members of both Houses of Parliament. Also in attendance were Japanese and British organisations and companies, who discussed the promotion of the growing Japan-UK partnership in the fields of defence and security.