Aki Matsushima caused a stir in MasterChef, the BBC TV competition for amateur cooks, with her unique ice cream.

Senior executives from Narita International Airport visited London Stansted Airport for lessons about how the world’s best airport for low-cost airlines operates.

The British Footwear Association (BFA) has teamed up with Pure London, the UK’s largest trade fashion show, to provide an opportunity for new footwear labels to launch their collections.

A lingerie firm’s reach expands, the British buying groceries in bulk, and a soccer star plans a big move.

The UK is on its way to becoming one of the world’s leading nuclear manufacturing hubs.

In June, Suntory Liquors Ltd. will release a line of alcoholic beverages commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones.

London comes to Ginza, new international university rankings are in, and fresh nuclear protests rise up in Wales in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.

Nissan plans to build 100,000 Invitation cars per annum at its north-east UK plant creating new jobs in the process.

Four-time British Fashion Awards winner Sir Paul Smith has a love affair with Japan that has lasted three decades.

Lady Margaret Thatcher to be brought to screen by an American actress formidable in her own right.

It’s been an interesting year for Michael Woodford whose image has fared much better than that of his former employer, Olympus, in the wake of a scandal that laid Japanese business practices bare.

Firms in the Lake District, popular with Japanese tourists, claim the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is damaging business.

TV personality Cristel Takigawa appeared at a British Embassy Tokyo press conference to announce that Internet streaming service Hulu had reached a video distribution deal with the BBC.

Loughborough-based Intelligent Energy Ltd. and Suzuki Motor Corporation will make a fuel-cell system for vehicles, the Nikkei reported on 7 February.
The firms will each have a 50% stake in the joint venture, Smile FC System Corporation, which will be headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Suzuki expects to start selling motorcycles with the fuel-cell system in [...]

A controversy is brewing about Hello Kitty’s citizenship.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news

Marubeni Corporation plans to treble its investment in green energy in the UK to more than £600mn over the next few years, the London Press Service reported on 13 January.

An intrepid cyclist is attempting to travel 19,312km to Tokyo on two wheels, the Bristol Evening Post reported on 4 January.

Sales of electric vehicles in the UK have slumped so badly that there are now more charging points on the road than cars that use them, the Daily Mail reported on 15 January.

Two Britons recently completed a 100-day tour of Japan’s 47 prefectures, in a bid to help bring back foreign tourists to the country, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 24 January.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.

With more than 25 years of experience in developing solar technology, a leading UK manufacturer of a key component in solar-power systems is developing its traditional markets in Japan and Europe to include China, Taiwan and the US, according to a December London Press Service report.

Cheryl Gillan, the secretary of state for Wales, defended her decision to attend a posh horticultural event as the guest of Japan Tobacco International (JTI), the Daily Post reported on 14 December.

Women’s league champions INAC Kobe Leonessa drew 1-1 with Arsenal Ladies in a charity match for the 11 March disasters, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 1 December.

This winter, Aqua Kyoto is set to be the coolest venue in London with the launch of its Sake and Sushi Ice Bar, according to a 29 November press release issued by the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.

A fleet of 27 hybrid electric versions
of London’s famous red buses has just
completed 1mn miles of “clean, reliable
revenue service”, thanks to BAE Systems’
technology that is also being used by some
buses in Japan, according to a 26 October
London Press Service report.

The world records for inro (nested boxes) and netsuke (miniature carvings) sold at auction were broken in the sale of the Harriet Szechenyi Collection of Japanese Art that took place at Bonhams in London on 8 November, according to artdaily.org.

An Englishwoman attempting a solo voyage around the world by bike and kayak arrived at Choshi-shi, Chiba Prefecture, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 19 November.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.

A group of Tohoku high school footballers arrived in Britain to play at Wembley Stadium, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 23 November.

A hybrid beef, made using Japanese beef (wagyu), is now exclusively available at a London supermarket. The meat, sold at low prices, is the result of a three-year breeding programme, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 29 November.

The Ninagawa Company will join artists from more than 50 arts organisations around the world and take part in the UK’s World Shakespeare Festival (WSF), according to a 1 October press release.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.

After conquering Japan, Manx Radio reported on 20 October that teenage pop sensation Beckii Cruel was set to release her first UK single the following week. The alter ego of schoolgirl Rebecca Flint from the village of Laxey, on the Isle of Mann, shot to fame by posting videos of herself dancing to Japanese anime songs on YouTube.

Despite sputtering auto sales in Japan, the super high end of the market, pitching dream cars such as Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces, has continued to run full throttle here, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 12 October.

London bookshops had opened their doors at midnight to sell Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, newspapers around the world reported on 17 October. 1Q84 was released in Japanese two years ago, when its first print run sold out in just one day. The book is now one of the Amazon top 20 titles.

A fashion show for sheep was held at the British Embassy Tokyo to promote eco-friendly wool, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 4 October. TV Asahi was included among some 20 media outlets that featured the event titled, Campaign for Wool Reception—Field Day in Japan.

Lord (Sebastian) Coe opened SportPark at Loughborough University, the preparation camp headquarters of Team GB and Japan for the 2011 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, the London Press Service reported on 12 September.

Indian-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor and architect Arata Isozaki will create a mobile concert hall to bring music and arts to areas hit by the March earthquake and tsunami, the Sankei Shimbun reported on 6 September.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. celebrated 25 years in Britain with a ceremony in Sunderland, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 9 September. In 1986, Nissan became the first Japanese car manufacturer to set up a base in the UK, where it now operates the country’s most productive car plant.

Toray Industries Inc. unveiled a carbon fibre two-seat prototype of an electric sports car created by renowned Formula 1 designer Gordon Murray, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 14 September.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.

The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan and the British Embassy Tokyo’s UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) teams worked closely together after the 11 March earthquake to match requests for emergency supplies to what firms could offer, Hansard reported on 7 June.

Birmingham is the UK’s second most attractive area for foreign direct investment (FDI), according to Ernst & Young’s 2011 European attractiveness survey, the London Press Service reported on 16 August.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.

Londoner Roxy Borocca, aged 26, paddled across Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture, on a boat made from PET bottles to raise funds for orphans of the earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku region.

A Croydon firm that has pioneered new technologies in intensive care life-support equipment for premature babies, and has been in business for more than 30 years, is now exporting to Japan, the London Press Service reported on 28 June. SLE Ltd also exports to countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and South America.

The Canadian, Swiss and German chambers of commerce in Japan featured the 17th Japan Market Expansion Competition (JMEC) in July, of which BCCJ President Philip T Gibb was one of the judges. Winners were announced on 10 June at the Tokyo American Club including Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ) public relations and event coordinator Asami okusawa, reported The Canadian, published by the CCCJ.

Research by King’s College London, the Medical University of Fukushima and the State University of New York has achieved breakthrough findings in measuring blood pressure, the London Press Service reported on 19 July.

Solo adventurer Sarah Outen, 26, has set off from Britain on a two-and-a-half-year journey—via Japan—to kayak, cycle and row around the globe, protected by one of the most complex Lloyd’s of London insurance policies drawn up in 25 years, the London Press Service reported on 21 June.

By 2050, seaweed-powered space-liners will fly from London to Tokyo in two-and-a-half hours, at a cruising altitude of 32km and generating no significant pollution, The Independent reported on 20 June.

Scientists in the UK and Japan have discovered how to magnetise the wonder material graphene, opening up new opportunities for the world’s thinnest material in the area of spintronics, the London Press Service reported on 15 June.

Consumers are tasting okahijiki for the first time as the sea vegetable made its UK supermarket debut at Waitrose last month, reported Talking Retail on 2 June. With a fresh, light taste okahijiki—also known as “land seaweed”—is already served in restaurants on the Continent, but is now being grown in the West Midlands together with [...]

A strawberries and cream sandwich went on sale for £1 at UK supermarkets on 20 June, according to British tabloids. They called it a world-first, unaware that the snack has been sold in Japan for years.

A secretive members-only supper club serving the deadly and illegal tiger blowfish (fugu) was set to open in the UK, the London Evening Standard reported on 9 June.

Just one month after earning recognition by Guinness World Records as the oldest operating inn, Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, is suffering because of the 11 March earthquake, according to a 28 May Asahi Shimbun report.

A second exodus of expats from Japan appears to have started, particularly among those with young family members, the Financial Times reported on 19 June. As schools prepare for the summer vacation and property contracts approach renewal deadlines, some foreign professionals are deciding to leave Japan, according to recruitment, relocation and property firms.

Your monthly digest of UK-Japan news.

After years of increasing foreign pressure, Japan has finally agreed to sign a treaty to help settle cross-border child custody disputes, the Sankei Shimbun reported on 19 May.

Britain is full of overpriced restaurants, poor-quality tourist attractions and expensive hotels, according to the latest Lonely Planet country guide to the nation, published in May.

Twenty-four oils of landscapes and flowers by award-winning artist Ryoko Oikawa were saved from destruction in the March earthquake because they had just been shipped to her first UK exhibition, the Bristol Evening Post reported on 10 May.

Your monthly digest of UK / Japan news

Following Climate Week on 21-27 March, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) released a major report by The Economist Intelligence Unit on adapting to climate change, as well as the business opportunities and risks involved, the London Press Service reported on 5 April.

UK defence contractor QinetiQ Group PLC is providing unmanned-vehicle equipment with related support and training to aid Japan’s natural disaster recovery efforts, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 15 April.

The Japanese tattoo, or irezumi, dates back to prehistoric times but has never captured the local imagination except among yakuza gangsters, prostitutes, secret societies and labourers.

Action for Happiness was launched in London, encouraging hugging, meditation and random kindness, the Mainichi Daily News reported on 12 April.

Your monthly digest of UK / Japan news

The Imperial Household Agency said Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako will not attend the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on 29 April following the earthquake and tsunami, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 21 March.

When Philip Harper came to Japan from the UK in 1988, he had no idea that, 20 years later, he would be the first and only foreign toji, or head brewer, at a sake maker in Kyoto the Mainichi Daily News reported on 5 March.

Reports saying the kawaii (cute) pop culture style is having an impact on UK youth and society were widely ridiculed on forums and by bloggers in early March.

The Queen Mary 2 docked in Osaka Port for its maiden trip to the prefecture, local papers reported on 10 March.

The Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) said that former judo competitor Maki Tsukada will go to London for coach training, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 10 March.

Tokyo Gas and the BG Group signed a deal to produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Australia, the Nikkei reported on 7 March.

An author has left for the Canadian Arctic to trace the route taken by Sir John Franklin, who disappeared in 1845 with 128 explorers, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 24 February. At the time, Franklin was attempting to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage.

The UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) expresses concern over China in its “Military Balance 2011” paper, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 8 March.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. CEO Toshiyuki Shiga said at the Geneva International Motor Show that he plans to increase production at the firm’s UK plants, the Nikkei reported on 2 March.

Itochu Corp. will buy Kwik Fit from private equity firm PAI partners for about ¥85bn, the Business Link blog reported on 3 March.

Irate readers deluged the Financial Times in early March with complaints about how difficult it was for business people, students and tourists to get UK visas.

Cardiff University ranked Japan low and Britain high in the biggest global survey on knowledge of pregnancy and sterility, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 14 February.

Optical-equipment and digital-camera maker Olympus has picked a Briton as president, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 10 February.

Ambassador David Warren is vigorously promoting the Eurofighter in Japan amid increasingly fierce competition, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 3 February.

As Robert Walters published its 12th annual Global Salary Survey, the firm’s haken expert spoke to the media in February on developments and misconceptions in Japan’s contract employment system.

The Tokyu Stay Kamata hotel will open on 18 April near Haneda Airport, local media reported in February, and it is offering free stays to BCCJ ACUMEN readers.

The Sullivan-Barnes family from Reading took part in an experiment to see how they could live without the technology of the past 30 years, NHK reported on 17 February.

An English-language release of Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure, a manga created by the celebrated Yukinobu Hoshino, will be published, the animenewsnetwork website announced on 9 February.

Japanese speakers of English believe that Glaswegians have the most attractive accent, ELT News reported on 9 February. The Glasgow accent came top for social attractiveness, a survey by Northumbria University found.

Tokyo was named the greenest city in the Asia-Pacific, The Independent reported on 17 February. Consulting firm Solidance evaluated CO2 emissions, energy usage, transport facilities, air quality, water, waste treatment, green space and environmental governance.

Softbank Mobile Corporation announced it would tie up with the Vodafone Group, China Mobile Limited and Bharti Airtel Limited to exploit next-generation communication technology, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 15 February. The partners believe cooperation across the four countries will boost sales.

Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. said it will buy Scottish pharmaceutical product maker ProStrakan Group plc for £292 million, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 22 February.

As “exotic” takeaways become favorite foods-to-go after a few beers on Friday nights, a survey of mispronounced dishes in the UK put a Japanese dish top, the New York Times reported on 22 February.

Toyota Motor Corporation is recalling nearly 19,000 cars in the UK due to potential problems with their fuel systems, The Sun reported on 27 January.

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited announced a price of about £31,000 for its Cygnet urban car that is based on the Toyota IQ compact, Goo-net reported on 24 January.

Greenpeace has ranked a Mitsubishi Corporation subsidiary as the UK’s most environmentally damaging brand of canned tuna, according to a press release on 10 January.

Just as Visit Britain Chairman Christopher Rodrigues CBE told The Independent on 7 January that poor service in UK hotels and restaurants could put off tourists and cost thousands of jobs, Kyodo News revealed that Japanese firms abroad are introducing meticulous and cordial service standards that are shaming the locals.

A Toshiba Corporation consortium has won an order to build a nuclear-power plant in the UK, Sankei Biz reported on 20 January.

Barclays Capital and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation will help finance a $127 million seven-year deal with South Africa’s biggest telecommunications firm, Telkom SA, Engineering News reported on 21 January.

A director who owns a controlling stake in English League One strugglers Plymouth Argyle is under fire from fans after a dismal campaign, financial woes and for rarely visiting the club or speaking to the media, the BBC reported on 15 January.

Today is International Human Rights Day, wrote Ambassador David Warren in his British Embassy Tokyo blog on 10 December.

Pamela Warren, wife of Ambassador David Warren, asked the Chiyoda Nyantonarukai animal-welfare group to neuter the seven stray cats living around the British Embassy Tokyo grounds, the NPO’s newsletter reported in December.

The national health system has been fundamentally changed for the first time in 60 years to save £10bn, the Nikkei reported on 24 January.

Inventors of the first fuel-cell motorcycle said that clean fuel-cell engine powered vehicles will soon be widely available to a large global market, the London Press Service reported on 25 January.

Japanese firms are threatening to review plans to invest in the UK if the government caps immigration levels, the Japan Times reported on 20 November. Later agency reports said the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) in the UK welcomed the announcement to exclude from the cap intra-corporate transfers who earn more than £40,000 [...]

A plan, proposed by the Japan Archaeological Association (JAA), to donate 56,000 books to a UK institute has been blocked after some association members objected, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 25 October.
Sainsbury’s Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures was the only place that agreed to accept the books, which were offered due [...]

British Deputy Head of Mission David Fitton joined other envoys to call on Minister of Justice Minoru Yanagida and express concern over the increase in international parental abductions involving Japan, according to a joint press statement. It was issued on 22 October by 13 diplomatic missions, but was not reported by the local media.
The envoys [...]

Farm shop Daylesford Organic opened in Aoyama, the Nikkei reported on 24 November. The firm, which has seven shops in the UK, Germany and South Korea that mainly sell Soil Association-certified goods, signed a franchise deal with Kataoka & Co., Ltd. and is licensed by JAS (Japan Agricultural Standards). The ground floor has a bakery, [...]

John Lewis’ flagship store in Oxford Street has opened its first Waitrose Foodhall, partly influenced by Tokyo’s department stores, the talkingretail website reported on 4 October.
The 5,182m2 Foodhall sells seasonal specialty foods, gourmet ready-to-heat meals and everyday groceries.
Mark Price, managing director of Waitrose, said: “It’s accessible and easy to navigate in and out for a [...]

Kengo Kuma has won a competition to design the £45-million V&A development at Craig Harbour on the River Tay in Dundee, World Architecture News reported on 2 November.
A judge said: “It demonstrates a clear understanding of the city, offers a new experience of the river, and will be as exciting internally as it will be [...]

A best-selling Gunma Prefecture-designed scarf will debut in Europe at London’s famous Courtauld Gallery beginning in August next year, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 16 November.
The multicoloured designs featuring vertical stripes of the Kiryu-based Matsui Knitting Crafts Mfg., Ltd. recently became the best-selling product at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

Twinings hosted Tea Day at the British Embassy Tokyo on 1 November, according to a Shokunojohogen web-site report on 10 November. A bartender demonstrated how to make an original Twinings Earl Grey cocktail and Twinings UK Senior Blender Michael Wright (pictured) also showed his techniques.

Mazars Japan announced a major upgrade to its offering in the country with a tie-up in the assurance-service sector with SCS Global, the Nikkei reported on 1 October.
Mazars will now be able to offer local statutory audit services, opening the door to doing business with listed firms in Japan as well as banks, insurers and [...]

Cadbury Japan Ltd. said its affiliate had bought the site of a former Panasonic Electric Works Co. plant in Aichi Prefecture to build a chewing gum plant, Kyodo News reported on 28 October.
The Kiyosu site was bought for ¥900mn by Nagoya-based confectioner Meito Adams Co., a joint venture of the Japanese unit of Britain’s Cadbury [...]

An ailing Buddhist monk from Kyoto is ‘‘thrilled’’ after a Cornish estate agreed to take his threatened rare collection of camellias, the Japan Times reported on 4 November.
The anonymous 85-year-old, who suffers from ill health and dementia, feared his house and garden could be demolished by developers after his death, so he contacted artist Rebecca [...]

Lochcarron Scotland, the world’s leading tartan and highlandwear designer, has released a pink Hello Kitty blanket to mark the feline’s 35th birthday, the Shikoku Shimbun reported on 25 October.
The 100%-cashmere registered-tartan blanket features the image of the famous feline and sells for ¥168,000.

Yamazaki 1984 whisky won the Supreme Champion Spirit award at the International Spirits Challenge 2010, the Nikkei reported on 10 November. The whisky’s producer, Suntory Holdings Limited, also became the first Japanese firm to be crowned Distiller of the Year at the event in Crawley, West Sussex.

The Guardian’s annual Travel Awards for the first time selected Tokyo as its readers’ favourite overseas city for 2010, the newspaper reported on 3 November.
Japan came second, after the Maldives, as the favourite long-haul country. Last year, Tokyo received no mention, while Japan ranked fifth. The Guardian said that Japan’s appeal lies in the [...]

A retired engineer from Torquay, Devon claims he has Britain’s oldest working TV — a Mitsubishi he bought for £300 in 1968, The Sun reported on 13 November. Father-of-two Derek Wills, aged 69, said it had never had a problem or been serviced since he bought it when he was 27. He has clocked up 70,000 hours [...]

The Asahi Shimbun will cease printing its English-language section from March, the newspaper reported on 6 December. It has been jointly published with the International Herald Tribune (IHT), which will be distributed alone while the Asahi will be digital only, including on Kindle and the iPad, a statement said.
The Asahi Evening News started in 1954 [...]

Smith & Nephew Wound Management KK has started marketing a new artificial skin from the PELNAC series for treating burns and bedsores, the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun reported on 2 November.

Japan Football Association President and FIFA Executive Committee Member Junji Ogura broke a promise to vote for England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup, British media reported in early December. Reports later said Ogura did vote for England and that he blamed the heavy defeat on the BBC’s documentary about alleged FIFA corruption.

A Mizuho International plc executive in London has been arrested in connection with an insider-trading investigation by UK financial regulators, the Financial Times reported on 4 November.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. is in talks with the Royal Bank of Scotland over buying its project-finance business for £4 billion, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 5 November.

A statue of Soseki Natsume, the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji Era (1868–1912), has been erected at the Soseki Museum near where he lived in London from 1901 to 1903, Kyodo Tsushin reported on 19 August.

Lotus Cars announced a partnership with Toyota Motor Corporation, the Auto Sport website reported on 17 September.

The John Lennon Museum in Saitama closed on 30 September, various media reported. Taisei Corp. said the 10-year licence deal with his widow Yoko Ono had expired.

Kent-born actor Orlando Bloom signed for Uniqlo’s new global advertising campaign, Sankei Sports reported on 5 October.

The Queen is troubled by the royal household’s financial problems, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 27 August. The funding shortage could affect the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012 to mark the Queen’s 60th anniversary of ascending to the throne.

Cotswolds bakery Huffkins has been selected to represent the nation at the 40th British Fair in Osaka, the This is Gloucestershire website reported in September.

British Airways will operate non-stop return flights five times a week between Haneda Airport and London’s Heathrow from 20 February 2011, Tokyo Shimbun reported in September.

British theatrical company Stan’s Café opened its “Of All the People in All the World — Japan” exhibition at Setagaya Arts Center, the Tokyo Shimbun reported on 16 September.

A Japanese firm was one of five shortlisted entries in an international competition to design a new Aldgate, but was beaten by a proposal called London Gate, by Donis of the Netherlands, the London Press Service reported on 10 August.

The number of Japanese universities in the world’s top 200 fell from 11 to five, the Times Higher Education reported on 16 September.

Sanei International Co., Ltd. will market products in Japan for clothing and fabric brand Cath Kidston, the Nihon Seni Shimbun reported on 27 August.

Small quantities of two limited-edition, single-malt Suntory whiskies will be available in the UK from this autumn priced at £70-80 a bottle, talkingretail.com reported on 10 August.
Yamazaki Puncheon, to be distributed by Cellar Trends, has been aged in 488-litre casks made from staves of American white oak. Hakushu, from a distillery on the edge of [...]

British clothing store Topshop will open its first Osaka stores in Umeda in May 2011 and Shinsaibashi next autumn, Fashionsnap.com reported on 17 September.

Rock singer and guitarist Peter Frampton wrote two songs on his latest album for Megumi Yokota, who was kidnapped by North Korea 32 years ago, Kyodo Tsushin reported on 17 August.

The Glover Award ceremony that celebrates British traders Thomas Blake Glover (1838-1911) and Frederick Ringer (1838-1907) was attended by Ambassador David Warren and held at Glover Garden in Nagasaki, the Nagasaki Shimbun reported on 19 September.

Ryo Miyaichi, 17, is set to join top English Premier League side Arsenal, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 1 September.

Foreign Secretary William Hague test-drove one of Nissan’s new Leaf electric vehicles that will be manufactured in Sunderland and go on sale in Japan in December, according to several media reports.

High street fashion retailer Topshop will launch its own original cosmetics brand in Japan in September at a new store to be called Topshop/Topman Miraza Shinjuku, the Nihon Seni Shimbun reported on 15 July.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) has started making the Auris Hybrid, the first hybrid manufactured in Europe, the Daily International Automotive Affairs website reported in July.

Toyota Motor Corporation said it could import to Japan its UK-made Avensis model due to the strong yen, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 13 July.

The British Embassy Tokyo held an event on 27 July to mark two years before the start of the London 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games…

David Fitton, acting head of the British Embassy Tokyo, accepted an invitation from the governor of Nagasaki Prefecture to attend the city’s annual memorial prayer service on 9 August for victims of the atomic bombing, the Nagasaki Shimbun reported.

The Body Shop celebrated its 20th anniversary in Japan, Mode Press reported on 16th July.

The Times became the UK’s first non-business daily newspaper to charge for digital content, several Japanese media outlets reported in July.

Chuo Mitsui Asset Trust and Banking Company has formed a strategic alliance for reciprocal asset management services with Standard Life Investments Limited, reported the Nihon Keizai Shimbun on 29 July.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the ability to continue to attract and retain inward investment from Japan, the US and other countries is at the heart of the government’s economic recovery plans, according to a London Press Service report on 16 July.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) agreed to develop low-carbon and wind energy, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on 21 July.

Majority owner Lion Capital is trying to sell Pan-Asian ramen restaurant chain Wagamama for up to £250m, The Sunday Times reported on 1 August.

The first batch of 650 bottles of Koshu-labelled wine to be marketed in Europe left Japan for London, reported iStockAnalyst on 21 July, with a further 2,000 bottles expected to follow by September.

Four-wheel drive manufacturer Subaru was the main sponsor of the Houghton International 2010 horse trials held in Norfolk on 27-30 May, the online motor magazine Response reported.

Mitsukoshi started selling Harrods 1849 Lager on 1 June at some of its department stores in Japan, lifestyle website My Life Note reported in April.

Popular UK accessories, clothing and fabric brand Cath Kidston, which has seven outlets in Japan, held a reception at the British Embassy on 11 May, Fashionsnap.com and daily newspapers reported.

A UK manufacturer of Antec Virkon S started exporting about five tons of the antiseptic to help combat the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Miyazaki Prefecture, the Asahi Shimbun reported on 21 May.

British Ambassador David Warren paid a courtesy call on the governor of Saitama Prefecture, Kiyoshi Ueda, on 19 May, reported the MSN Sankei News website.

British Ambassador David Warren gave a lecture at Wakayama University on the UK-Japan relationship, the Mainichi Shimbun reported on 14 May.

About 200 new skilled jobs will be created in northeast England with Mitsubishi’s £100 million investment in a new wind-turbine centre to research building the world’s biggest offshore turbine blades…

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) agreed with Scotland’s Weir Power & Industrial Division to collaborate in the supply and maintenance of pumps for nuclear power plants, JCN Newswire reported in May.

Hitachi, Ltd. said it plans to target the UK, China, the US and Brazil to further expand sales of its high-speed trains, the Nikkei reported in March.

A Cornish tea plantation will export cream teas to Japan, the BBC and UK newspapers reported in March…

Nintendo Entertainment’s Analysis & Development General Manager Shigeru Miyamoto received the coveted fellowship at the GAME British Academy Video Games Awards in London, the Gpara.com website reported in March…

Kagoshima Prefecture’s rich and creamy annou sweet potato is in demand from posh London restaurants that offer up to ¥3,000 per spud, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported in March…

British Council Japan Director Jason James visited Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Tagami to request the prefecture’s help in organising a Scotland exhibition, the Nagasaki Journal reported in February…

An award-winning brand has released a DVD in English and brochures in six languages to exploit the trend for sake in the UK and other markets, it was reported in March…

A senior official from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was delighted to see a rare red-crested white crane in Hokkaido, the Kushiro Shimbun reported in February…

GlaxoSmithKline plc withdrew from sale their denture adhesive New Poligrip EX, the Nikkei reported in March…

Japan became the first country to approve the anti-viral influenza drug Rapiacta (peramivir) that is licensed by Shionogi & Co., Ltd. from UK-based BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun reported in January…

Jude Kelly, OBE, chair of the 2012 London Olympics’ arts, education and culture committee, addressed the Beppu Art Project in Kitahama, the Nishi Nippori Shimbun reported in March…

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has bought innovative UK video game developer Media Molecule for an undisclosed amount, the INSIDE game website reported in March.
Media Molecule, which employs about 40 people at its Guildford, Surrey studio, created the PlayStation 3 smash-hit LittleBigPlanet that sold more than 3 million copies. The deal would help Sony’s development [...]

JAL and BA have reached an agreement to expand their oneworld® code-sharing partnership, the Nikkei reported in March…

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. will invest £420 million to manufacture its electric Leaf car in Sunderland, northeast England, in early 2013…

A Belfast cancer victim who began a round-the-world fund-raising trip by gyroplane on 22 March will visit 26 countries in four months, including Japan, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported in March…

Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres, was invited to speak at Kanazawa University, the Mainichi Shimbun reported in February…

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has bought innovative UK video game developer Media Molecule for an undisclosed amount, the INSIDE game website reported in March…

GlaxoSmithKline plc has started selling its cervical-cancer vaccine in Japan — the first such vaccine to be approved by Japan’s Ministry of Health, the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun reported in December.
Cervarix prevents infection by the two most common cervical-cancer-causing types of human papillomavirus (HPV), [types 16 and 18], the main causes of cervical cancer.
The suggested list price of [...]

A 72-year-old Scot has become the youngest person and only the second Briton to be awarded a 10th Dan in judo, the Herald Scotland reported in February.
George Kerr is only the 15th person to win judo’s highest honour. “It was hard to accept, in a way, because I always think of the great teachers I [...]

Shionogi & Co., Ltd., an Osaka-based pharma-ceutical firm, agreed to collaborate with UK universities in drug discovery research, the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun reported in January. In 2011, Shionogi will disburse about ¥100 million (£700,000) in funding, with a view to licensing promising drug seeds.

A Scottish firm hopes a Japan-Scotland Day will build better business ties between the two countries, the BBC reported in February.
Edinburgh-based Sakura Scotland has proposed the autumn event to the Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh as part of a celebration of the “Scottish Samurai”, Thomas Glover, a key merchant in 19th-century Japan.
Thomas Glover scholarships [...]

An international award-winning palliative-care nurse from Wales was invited to address a major health conference held in January in Okayama, the Sanyo Shimbun reported.
Ann Brennan, lead nurse for palliative medicine at Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, South Wales, was named Palliative Care Nurse of the Year at the International Journal of Palliative Nursing Awards [...]

The Tokyo Stock Exchange will decide in March whether to seek regulator approval for listing corporate bonds on its Tokyo AIM market for professional investors, the Nikkei reported in January.
This would make it easier for firms to issue bonds and would give them more options for fundraising, replacing the present system of bond trades conducted [...]

Yamanashi Prefecture Governor Shomei Yokouchi and local vineyard operators visited London to begin marketing their wines in Europe, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported in January.
About 300 guests tasted 15 different Koshu wines matched with Japanese appetizers at the Embassy of Japan on 12 January.
The Yamanashi team gave a hearty presentation because, although the UK is not [...]

In a blow to the British cuppa, a Kagoshima black tea became the first Japanese entrant to win a top award at London’s prestigious Great Taste Awards, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported in October.

Long dependent on North Sea oil, Scotland is now spearheading Europe’s quest to harness strong winds to create energy and employment — leaving Japan way behind in this industry, Nikkei Business reported in October.

About 1,100 people gathered at Kanda University, Makuhari on 4 October for a pageant of Scottish traditional sounds and colour. The massed Pipes & Drums of the Tokyo Pipe Band and judges marched past in the opening event. Spectators and competitors then enjoyed the bagpipes and drums, kilts and sporrans, Glengarry caps and tartan shawls…

“I enjoy cross cultural management”, Clare Weaver told the Mainichi Shimbun on 7 February. London-based, she is a team leader of six Japanese and others in the Europe, Middle East and Africa team of Mitsui & Co.’s legal division.
Weaver, aged 36, is proud of heading a team whose members help each other even when [...]

The mountain made famous by James Bond in 1967, as an extinct peak for him and his half-naked girlfriend to spy on the hideout of badboy Spectre, spectacularly burst into life it was reported on 2 February.

Loughborough University, the pre-tournament training camp for the Japanese and British squads in the London 2012 Olympic Games, has denied it will also host Nigeria, the Loughborough Echo reported on 2 February. Nigerian Olympic Committee President Sani Ndanusa had said Nigeria would use the university as its “preparation camp prior to the London 2012 Olympic [...]

Panasonic Group will supply solar batteries to British Gas, the Nikkei business daily reported on 15 February. In 2010, the UK developed a “roof lease” scheme whereby British Gas installs solar panels at no or low cost to householders, who then get free electricity. British Gas claims the Feed In Tariff pays owners of solar panels for the “renewable” electricity generated.