The keynote address was by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  You can read the speech in English here:

http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/96_abe/statement/201309/30ukjapan_e.html and as pdf.:RUSI Keynote Address by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at the Conference on Rejuvenating U.K

HRH, The Duke of York was the second keynote speaker.

Yōhei Sasakawa wrote an article which originally appeared in the Sankei Shimbun newspaper on 20 September 2013 entitled Ties with Britain Expand Japan’s Diplomatic Options  Read as pdf. here: RUSI Sankei Sasakawa article (English) 20-9-2013

産経ニュース 2013.9.20: ” 日本財団会長・笹川陽平　日英協力で外交の選択肢広げよ” – 日本財団会長・笹川陽平氏

More information about the conference, with photographs: http://www.rusi.org/events/ref:E523986CE3C7C7#.UlMAlI1lQUp

Japan400 Event page with photos is here: http://japan400.com/event/uk-japan-security-conference-in-2013/

Only 400 Coins available worldwide

Minted by the East India Company
with Royal Approval from HM Queen Elizabeth II

*NEW* Presentation of Japan400 coin to the Tokugawa family on 6th December 2013: http://japan400.com/head-of-tokugawa-family-marks-400th-anniversary-of-sailing-from-japan-of-first-british-ship-to-visit/

On 8th September 2013, following official approval from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 400 legal tender coins were issued in 24ct Gold and Fine Silver to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Japan-British Relations and the beginning of a long and remarkable friendship between the two nations.

These extremely limited edition coins feature for the first time ever on a coin the portrait of Retired Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Next to him is a portrait of King James l of England and Vl of Scotland, with an image representing The East India Company ship “The Clove” with the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll on the obverse.

A DESIGN WORTHY OF TWO RULERS

Designed by Former Royal Mint Chief Engraver and Head of Design, Matthew Bonaccorsi, the design has been formally agreed and approved by HM Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Household and is the only official coin issued to celebrate the anniversary.

Matthew Bonaccorsi comments “When designing a coin of this stature, it is important to achieve a balance between the two nations, ensuring that each ruler stands alone in their own right. The portraits demonstrate the differing styles of art from each country, highlighting their unique cultures. The EIC ship ‘The Clove’ is purposely placed behind the portraits, symbolising its importance in connecting the two nations at a time when maritime travel was still a very hazardous enterprise”.

After his senior responsibilities at the Royal Mint and 17 years of experience designing and engraving coins and medals, Matthew Bonaccorsi launched his own Numismatic Design Agency in 2012. Creating designs for important UK events such as HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 100th anniversary of WW1 contribute to Matthew Bonaccorsi’s experience in capturing important characters and anniversaries in 3D relief.

RARE COINS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY

Struck to the highest ‘proof’ quality available in the minting process, these gold and silver coins are minted by The East India Company, the very Company which, 400 years ago, arrived at the shores of Hirado bearing gifts and official letters from King James I and Vl for the rulers of Japan.
Each coin is carefully mounted in a beautiful presentation case, each with a numbered certificate.

With only 400 coins available worldwide, the demand for these coins is significant.  The coins were placed on general release on 8th September 2013.

A donation of £100 for each gold coin and £10 for each silver coin will be made to the Japan400 Organisation to ensure that future generations will be able to benefit from the legacy of this special anniversary, through a range of educational and monumental restoration projects.

TO SECURE ONE OF ONLY 400 COINS WORLDWIDE CLICK HERE

The East India Company and Its Coins

The East India Company has long been known in the precious metal trade. It was, and still is, the only company in history to mint its own trading currency and grew to become one of the two largest bullion traders of its time.

Much of the East India Company’s history has been captured in the immortal designs used in its coinage. These coins tell the story of how a band of traders created a company that far exceeded the sum of their ambitions, uniting distant markets and building and sustaining an empire.

The need of The Company to use bullion as a trading commodity grew from the lack of appropriate goods with which to tempt their eastern partners. Cargoes of heavy cloths, such as woollens, initially loaded onto the East India Company ships, were quickly replaced with bullion coins, more readily acceptable in the new markets they were exploring.

By the middle of the 17th century, The Company’s trade increasingly depended on the export of bullion from Britain to serve its needs. By 1677, it had become so influential that King Charles II granted it the right to mint its own currencies in the territory of Bombay which it administered through an earlier grant of charter. This led over time to the emergence of over 14 mints in India including Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

The Company’s coins included Gold Mohur, Silver Rupiya, Pagoda, Anna, Fanams and Cash, many of which remain highly sought after and revered by collectors to this day.

By 1835, the Coinage Act decreed that there should be a universal coinage for all of the British Colonies. As a result coins were struck for the first time bearing the effigy of the reigning monarch, King William IV.

Over 150 years later, following in the path of its ancestors, The East India Company secured the right to mint legal tender coins for the Island of St Helena, with which it shares a long and intimate history.
On Royal Approval and once again bearing the effigy of reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II, The East India Company returned to its by-gone bullion days, releasing its first new legal tender coins in February 2012 with the launch of the famous Gold Mohur and Fine Silver CASH collections.

In 2013, the collection was extended to include the East India Company Guinea, an iconic coin which symbolised the Colonial age and underpinned the growth of international trade.

Special edition anniversary coins including the 2013 Koh-i-Noor Coronation coin, the Treasures of India Collection and the 400th Anniversary of Japan – British Relations Gold and Silver coins complement a collection of beautiful, rare and exceptional coins minted to the very highest standards for the collector, curator and connoisseur alike.

PRESS RELEASE FOR LAUNCH IS HERE Japan400 _Press Release_8th_Sept_FINAL

Press release for presentation to the Tokugawa family is here: http://japan400.com/head-of-tokugawa-family-marks-400th-anniversary-of-sailing-from-japan-of-first-british-ship-to-visit/

　日英関係をめぐっては、英国王ジェームス１世（在位１６０３〜１６２５年）が１６１３年、江戸幕府を開いた徳川家康に初めて書簡を送り、二代将軍秀忠が返礼したことが最初の政府間の交流とされる。その後、幕府の鎖国政策で関係は途切れたが、幕末に国交を樹立し、現在も友好関係が続いている。

　英国の王立武具博物館とロンドン塔には秀忠が国王に贈った甲冑（かっちゅう）が現在も保存され、一連のイベントでは一般に知られていない交流史についての講演も開かれる。日本のアニメなども紹介する予定で、主催団体「ジャパン４００」のウィリアム・ホースリー代表は「イベントを通じて、日本文化への理解を深めたい」と意気込んでいる。

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