Community
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.
British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) President David Bickle welcomes members and guests to the BCCJ Shinnenkai at Palazzo Ducale Azabu in Roppongi on 17 January.
Students from the British School in Tokyo took part in debates at the Model United Nations Conference in Osaka on 11–12 January. Topics included combatting disinformation and control of nuclear weapons, with each student representing a different country.
BCCJ Executive Director Lori Henderson MBE and Nobu Asai, chief executive officer of KEF, maker of speakers and audio gear, at the new member welcome meeting at the KEF offices in Marunouchi on 10 January.
The Japan–British Society (JBS) held the Junior Group Christmas Wreath Workshop on 15 December in the JBS office. Participants made Christmas swags using dried and fresh materials under the guidance of Hamei Matsumoto, a JBS member and certified Sougetsu Ikebana teacher.
The British Council Japan hosted Building Japan–UK Research Collaboration on Climate Change, a workshop for RENKEI—the Japan–UK Research and Education Network for Knowledge Economy Initiatives—on 29–30 November.
Representatives from the Kagoshima Visitor’s Bureau, led by Director Keisuke Kogi, paid a new member welcome visit to the BCCJ office on 11 December.
Japanese Ambassador to the UK Koji Tsuruoka dances at the Japan Matsuri 2018 on 30 September in Trafalgar Square, London.
The British School in Tokyo Ski Club went on their first trip of the new year to Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, on 11–13 January.
The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan, together with 11 other foreign chambers of commerce, gathered at the Embassy of Canada to Japan on 11 December for the annual joint chamber bonenkai.
Ryohei Yanagi, chief financial officer of Eisai Co., Ltd. (center right), spoke at the BCCJ breakfast event entitled “Corporate Governance: Japan’s Inconvenient Truth”, on 27 November at the Shangri-La Hotel Tokyo.
Former players spoke at the 2018 Media Party Rugby Appreciation Night on 3 December at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.