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Ambassador Madden (center left) and Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi (center right) cut the ribbon to open Yokohama’s Daikoku Pier passenger terminal on 19 April. The Queen Elizabeth was the first ship to dock at the new terminal.
Attendees got a glimpse of the virtual world at the BCCJ event AR VR: Under the Hood, held at EY wavespace in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya on 25 April.
From left: Koji Tokumasu, president of the Shibuya International Rugby Club, senior director of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Organising Committee and honorary president of Asia Rugby; David Bickle, British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) president; Fiona Taag, head of Global Sponsorship and Europe Marketing Communications at DHL; Magnus Hansson, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Japan; interpreter Amanda Jun Katsurada; and Keiko Asami, World Rugby board member and former head coach of the Japan Rugby Women’s Sevens team formed the panel at the Rugby Alliance “Diversity in Rugby” event at the Conrad Tokyo on 26 March.
Sir Simon Fraser, founder and managing partner of policy advisor Flint Global Ltd. and a former head of the UK Foreign Office and Diplomatic Service, was the guest of honour at the first joint lunch of the year for the Japan Society and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the UK at Drapers’ Hall in London on 6 March.
Data scientist Darren Cook, director at data analysis firm QQ Trend Ltd., spoke about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and the implications of its future development at the BCCJ event “AI Under the Hood: turning water into gold” at the BCCJ office on 12 March.
Cycling group Knights in White Lycra held their annual 24-hour Imperial Palace Walk and Jog on 5 April. The event raises funds for local non-profit organisation YouMeWe to empower abused and orphaned kids living in care in Japan. PHOTO: CUSTOM MEDIA
Japanese State Minister of Defence Kenji Harada (left) spoke aboard the HMS Montrose at a cocktail party at Harumi Pier on 12 March. Looking on were Commander Conor O’Neill (centre), the ship’s commanding officer, and Captain Paul Casson OBE (right), UK defence attaché to Japan. PHOTO: CUSTOM MEDIA
Sailors assigned to the “War Eagles” of Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 meet with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) sailors assigned to (VP) 3 on 14 March. VP-16 took part in a trilateral anti-submarine warfare exercise which included Royal Navy, JMSDF and US assets. PHOTO: US NAVY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST SEAMAN WILLIAM ANDREWS
Maki and David Carmichael opened The Hole in the Wall, a British-Irish-style restaurant and pub on 15 March at Nishi-Ogikita, Suginami-ku, Tokyo. PHOTO: CUSTOM MEDIA
Celtic Wind, the folk music duo comprising Paul Williams (vocal, guitar, bouzouki) and Yuko Hamamoto (flute and melodion), performed at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on 16 March. PHOTO: CUSTOM MEDIA
Comprising eight foreign chambers of commerce in Japan, the Rugby Alliance held its monthly meeting on 12 February at the office of the Rugby World Cup 2019 Organising Committee in Kasumigaoka-machi, Shinjuku Ward. Among the delegates were (from left) RWC Marketing and Communication Project Manager Hiroko Ozawa, RWC Committee Member Gen Fukushima, and British Chamber of Commerce in Japan Executive Director Lori Henderson MBE.
Haruno Yoshida, co-chair of this year’s W20, an official engagement group that proposes policy recommendations related to women to the G20, presented “The W20 and Knowledge Partnerships,” at a BCCJ event held at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo on 19 February.
The BCCJ, in association with Barclays and SMBC, hosted a special event at the SMBC head office in Tokyo to mark International Women’s Day 2019 on 8 March. The panellists were, from left: Sue Kinoshita, Minister Counsellor for Economic Diplomacy at the British Embassy Tokyo; Vanessa Koo, head of banking APAC at Barclays; Takako Matsui, member of the Bank of Japan Policy Board; and GlaxoSmithKline Japan President Paul Lirette.
From left: Heather McLeish, director in the EY Japan Financial Services Advisory practice; Aragon St-Charles, operations manager at law firm Hogan Lovells; and Tove Kinooka, founder of Global Perspectives K.K., spoke at the BCCJ event “Building a Sustainable Workplace,” held at the Hogan Lovells office in Tokyo on 20 February.
The BCCJ welcomed 2019 Lord Mayor of London Peter Estlin for a lunch at Hotel Okura’s Kensington Terrace, Tokyo on 15 February. Estlin was visiting Japan to enhance collaboration in the areas of asset management, fintech and green finance, actively seeking opportunities to work more closely with Japanese firms in these areas.
British Ambassador to Japan Paul Madden CMG hosted a welcome reception for the new Welsh Government Representative to Japan, Robin Walker, with a great celebration of the Welsh-Japanese relationship and the quality of Welsh food and drink. Croeso Robin!. PHOTO: WELSH GOVERNMENT JAPAN REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE
Amelia Clark, Stopgap Dance Company touring access worker and production assistant (left), Dave Toole, a professional disabled dancer who is the male lead (center in wheelchair), and female lead Hannah Sampson (right) met with audience members after a performance of the Stopgap Dance Company’s The Enormous Room at Setagaya Public Theatre on 8 March.
The Tokyo Sinfonia, under the director of Maestro Robert Rÿker, performed the British Serenade Dinner Concert at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on 15 February.
Refugees International Japan hosted an event at the Hilton Tokyo on 8 March, International Women’s Day, to celebrate the achievements of millions of women living in displaced communities. The evening was filled with fun, networking opportunities, lively entertainment and great auction items.
To mark 200 days until the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2019 kicks off in Japan, the RWC 2019 Organising Committee launched the uniform to be worn by its TEAM-NO SIDE workforce of more than 13,000 at an event in Tokyo on 5 March. Workforce Uniforms are a precious and tangible memento for staff and volunteers of Rugby World Cups.
Dan Goodfellow (left) and Jack Laugher took the men’s synchronised 3m springboard bronze at the FINA Diving World Series on 1 March. PHOTO: BRITISH SWIMMING
UK firms and solutions were on display at the ENEX 2019 Energy and Environment Exhibition from 29 to 31 January at Tokyo Big Sight.
British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) members and guests gathered for the Executive Shopping Christmas Evening at KEF Music Gallery in Yurakucho on 18 December. PHOTO: CALDERWOOD IMAGES
Dr Florian Kohlbacher, director for The Economist Intelligence Unit, Japan and Korea, led a lunchtime talk followed by an arm-chair discussion about geo-political and economic issues on 30 January at ANA InterContinental Tokyo.
The Shibuya International Rugby Club took advantage of sunny skies on 10 February, following snow the day before, to coach kids at the British School in Tokyo Showa Campus.
The British School in Tokyo’s 19:20 Project, which aims to deliver unique experiences and resources for students in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup 2019 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, won the International Impact category at the International Schools Association ISA Awards in London on 22 January.
The British School in Tokyo boys basketball team defeated KAIS International School 54–19 in a game played on 12 February.
The UK in Japan 2019–20 campaign, which will highlight and promote UK strengths in culture and business, was unveiled in an event at the British Embassy Tokyo on 30 January.
BCCJ Executive Director Lori Henderson MBE (front right) met with representatives of Mitsubishi Estate on 5 February to build a relationship on a range of matters, including rugby.
From left: Tove Kinooka of Global Perspectives, Heather McLeish of EY Japan and Aragon St-Charles of Hogan Lovells spoke at the BCCJ event Building a Sustainable Workplace on 20 January at the Hogan Lovells office in Kasumigaseki.