Japan-United Kingdom Relations
Courtesy Call on Prime Minister KISHIDA by the UK members of Japan-UK 21st Century Group
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
(Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office)
On February 1, commencing at 6:30 p.m. for approximately 15minutes, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan received a courtesy call from the Rt Hon Andrew Lord Lansley CBE (the Co-Chair of the UK side of Japan-UK 21st Century Group), Mr. KIHARA Seiji, member of the House of Representatives (the Co-Chair of the Japanese side of Japan-UK 21st Century Group), and the UK members of Japan-UK 21st Century Group. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Prime Minister Kishida welcomed the UK members of the Japan-UK 21st Century Group’s visit to Japan and expressed his expectations for lively discussions and valuable recommendations from the meeting which was to commence from the following day. Noting that the year 2023 opened a new chapter in the relationship between Japan and the UK, including the announcement of the “Japan-UK Hiroshima Accord,” and that 2024 is a critical year that determines the next decade, Prime Minister Kishida stated that Japan would like to continue to promote concrete cooperation with the UK as global strategic partners.
- In response, Lord Lansley, the Chair of the UK side, expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to make a courtesy call on the Prime Minister on the occasion of the 40th Joint Meeting of the Group, which is the first face-to-face meeting in Japan in about five and a half years. Both chairs also stated that they were encouraged by Japan’s efforts as the G7 Presidency and by the steady progress in areas covered by the recommendations on the basis of the “Japan-UK Hiroshima Accord,” and expressed their intention to engage in in-depth discussions and fruitful exchanges of views to deliver recommendations which would serve as a guidepost for both governments.
The Japan-UK 21st Century Group was established in 1985 as a council of eminent persons to discuss cooperation between Japan and the UK, based on an understanding between Mr. NAKASONE Yasuhiro, the then Prime Minister of Japan, and Ms. Margaret Thatcher, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A joint meeting attended by high-level representatives from political, business, and academic communities and others from both countries is held once a year, taking place alternately in Japan and the UK.