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The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) hosted the Travel Tourism Think Tank: Responsible Tourism on 29 July at Tokyo American Club (page 22). The panel consisted of (from left): moderator Adam Fulford, chief executive of Fulford Enterprises; Paul Christie, chief executive of Walk Japan; Hans Heijligers, chief executive of IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan; Ruth Marie Jarman, chief executive of Jarman International KK; Tomoko Hisaki of Visit Britain; Naohiro Fukawa, director at Tourism Shizuoka Japan; and Muneyuki Okabe, chief executive of MENEX Company Limited.
The BCCJ teamed up with sake experts Imadeya for a special sake tasting session on 11 July at Restaurant Kurabuu in Tsukiji, Tokyo. The event, entitled Sake Salon by Imadeya, was designed for female members and guests of the BCCJ. Pictured are (from left): Ikuko Saito of KPMG; Nora Yamada, director of external relations at The British School in Tokyo; Lori Henderson MBE, executive director of the BCCJ; June Hyosoon of Imadeya; and Catherine O'Connell of Catherine O'Connell Law.
Together with the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ), the BCCJ presented Marriage Equality: Impact on Workforce Productivity on 31 July in the ACCJ boardroom. Speakers included: Evan Wolfson (third left), the father of marriage equality who provided the legal and policy perspective; Eriko Talley (centre left), senior vice president of Human Resources for Coca-Cola (Japan) Company, Ltd.; and Alexander Dmitrenko (centre right), head of Asia Sanctions at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and co-chair of the Lawyers for LGBT & Allies Network.
Non-profit organisation YouMeWe hosted the Designing Artists Academy (DAA) from 11 to 20 August at Miraikan Taimei in Ikebukuro. The annual summer arts camp offers kids living in children’s homes a unique opportunity to experience different forms of art taught by professional artists from all over the world.
To support this year’s DAA, YouMeWe held a fundraiser on 23 July at Blu Jam Café in Daikanyama. Artist Ken Tanaka painted this colourful mural while guests enjoyed tacos.
Members of the Custom Media team paid a visit to the Webb Ellis Cup, the trophy awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup, on display at Tokyo American Club on 24 July. Pictured are ACUMEN Publisher Simon Farrell (second left) with creative consultants (from left) Toshiya Haraguchi, Garreth Stevens and James Greer.
The 30% Club Japan, founded in May, with the aim of increasing female representation on executive boards in Japan, appointed its first chair and vice-chairs on 17 July. Masahiko Uotani, president and chief executive of Shiseido Company, Limited, was named chair, while Yoriko Goto, chair of Deloitte Tohmatsu Group and Douglas Hymas, country executive of The Bank of New York Mellon were selected as vice-chairs.
Lawyer Catherine O’Connell (front centre) spoke about how to successfully transition from being an employee to becoming your own boss at the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) event Small is GREAT XV: Law and Disorder at the BCCJ Hub in Tokyo on 6 June.
The Welsh Government and British Ambassador to Japan Paul Madden CMG hosted a Welsh Food and Drink promotion event and business reception on 19 June at the British Embassy Tokyo. The event was part of the 16–21 June Food and Drink Trade Development Visit to Tokyo, organised by Food & Drink Wales.
The BCCJ participated in the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan’s annual summer cocktail event on 7 June at Roppongi Hills Club. With 13 other chambers of commerce participating, it was a wonderful chance for members to network with the Tokyo business community.
Tech Hack: UK–Japan Innovation Ecosystems in 2019–2020 took place on 9 July at the BCCJ Hub. Tying into the BCCJ 5.0 initiative’s Digital and Tech Innovation pillar, the hackathon format was designed to promote creative thinking, problem solving and innovation through diversity and inclusion by bringing together members of the BCCJ and other foreign chambers of commerce in Japan with leaders from the Japanese public and private sectors.
Two images of British armed forces in Yokosuka were announced among winners of the annual Royal Navy Peregrine Trophy Awards on 1 July. Royal Navy winchman James Watson takes part in a winching serial aboard HMS Sutherland (5) and Royal Marines from HMS Sutherland participate in a boarding serial with the Japanese destroyer JS Suzunami (6). PHOTOS: SAM SEELEY / ROYAL NAVY
The Webb Ellis Cup, the trophy awarded to the winner of the Rugby World Cup (RWC), was on display at the British School in Tokyo on 2 July. Sharing the prize with students were, from left, RWC 2019 Executive Director Rob Abernethy, outgoing BST Principal Brian Christian and RWC 2019 General Manager Koji Tokumasu.
Custom Media (CM) and Dow Jones & Company (DJ) launched Mansion Global Japan, a premium real estate and luxury lifestyle magazine, at Academy Hills on 8 July. Pictured from left are: CM President Robert Heldt, DJ Partnerships Director Masumi Obi, CM Creative Consultant Edvard Vondra, DJ Relations Manager Sonia Liang, CM and BCCJ ACUMEN Publisher Simon Farrell, Business Development Manager Jody Pang, DJ Vice President of Asia–Pacific Joe Martin and marketing projects team member Masako Osabe.
From left: Yukihiro Bartlett-Imadegawa, British Ambassador to Japan Paul Madden CMG, Custom Media Publisher Simon Farrell and St David’s Society of Japan President Ursula Bartlett-Imadegawa at the Queen’s Birthday Party at the British Embassy Tokyo on 25 April.
A slightly rainy start to the annual BST Spring Fair on 23 March didn’t stop visitors from enjoying the food, games and entertainment, including the traditional sound of Taiko drums.
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.