2013 is a year of remarkably important anniversaries for Japan’s international relations: the 400th anniversary of the arrival of an East India Company ship with presents and letters from King James I of England and VI of Scotland, establishing state to state relations and the first trade and scientific exchanges; the 400th anniversary of a regional delegation from Sendai to Spain and Italy; and the 150th anniversary of the first young Japanese to escape the Shogun’s 225 year ban on overseas travel and come to study at University College London, the so-called Choshu Five, who returned to achieve great things in the modernisation of their country.
In this special Japan Year in Britain those celebrating Japan400 are cooperating with those responsible for Japan150, whose main coordinator, Professor Ohnuma of UCL, is with us today, but our main focus now is on the events planned for Japan400, an initiative started at the School of Oriental Languages in London as recently as 14th August last year, in liaison with friends from towns and cities in Japan with strong British links, led by Hirado, where the first British ship was made so welcome 400 years ago and where the East India Company set up its Japanese headquarters. This year there will also be a programme of commemoration in Japan.
The previous nationwide Japanese festivals I have worked on had five year lead-ins, but it is remarkable what has been achieved this time in under five months. It is a sign of the strength of Britain’s relations with Japan that over 100 Japan400 events are already planned, many local but some of national importance, some coinciding with our main activities but many specifically inspired by our initiative.
Similarly it is a sign of the resilience of the relationship and its relevance to many areas of our national life for trade and investment, science and technology, and education, two-way tourism, and culture, that over £100,000 has already been pledged to Japan400 by supporters as varied as the East India Company, (now Indian owned); the Skinners’ Company where the original East India Company was first conceived; the City Corporation of London, whose Lord Mayor worked for two years in Tokyo; and British Airways, whose fleet connects our two peoples and who last year started an alliance with Japan Airlines; Hitachi Europe whose Olympic Javelin service was so successful last summer and whose fleet of 29 high speed trains celebrates the names of fast Britons; Chugai Pharmaceutical, which promotes many aspects of scientific and medical cooperation in Britain; the Fanmakers’ Guild; Horipro, who are bringing the story of our first links alive later this month at Sadler’s Wells; and the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, who have backed our bilingual website, launched today.
We are most grateful to them all and to the City of Hirado and its two sake breweries, who are sending us sake to toast the 400th Anniversary at the Skinners’ Hall next month. With friends like these, remembering the past, and keen to engage in future cooperation, our long-term partnership is on firm foundations.
Nicolas Maclean. Japan400 Thursday 10 January 2013
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