UK in JAPAN 2019-20

A series of events and activities will take place to showcase UK excellence in business, innovation, culture, arts and education in order to build closer relationship between the the UK and Japan through networking, sharing knowledge and experiences, and collaborations.

The UK in JAPAN 2019-20 was officially announced when Prime Minister Abe visited the UK in January 2019. The campaign will strengthen the bilateral relationship further and will aim to deepen our partnership as forward-looking global leaders.

Through five 'GREAT Weeks' we will discuss mutual approaches to shared global challenges such as financial services, aging society, AI and data, climate change and the future of mobility. The first GREAT Week; Future of Financial Services will be held in September to promote both business and policy partnerships in finance.

The UK will also promote collaboration with Japan through culture, arts and education, and in particular will build relationships in areas such as diversity and inclusion, and innovation. For example, diversity and inclusion will be promoted with the London Symphony Orchestra through the programme called "Discovery for 2020". In addition to this, a variety of exhibitions, concerts and performances will be organised to showcase creativity and the diverse UK culture. Educational forums are also planned to promote collaboration and to share knowledge between our two countries.

We are proud to welcome Jaguar Land Rover and Standard Chartered Bank as principal partners of the campaign.

On the launch of "UK in JAPAN 2019-20", British Ambassador to Japan, His Excellency Paul Madden CMG said;

The UK/ Japan partnership continues to go from strength to strength and the UK in JAPAN 2019-20 campaign is a unique opportunity to further build on the ties between our two countries. I am looking forward to an exciting year ahead where we can not only showcase UK excellence in business, science, education and culture, but also forge new relationships with Japan in those fields.
We recognise the need to work together to respond to some of the major global challenges facing both our countries; healthy ageing, increased opportunity to use AI and data, climate change and the future of mobility.
Many of the events throughout the campaign will be held within a UK House concept created within the British Embassy and across Japan. I am looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible through 'UK in JAPAN 2019-20'.

Business, Science and Innovation

We will organize five GREAT Weeks showcasing the UK's strength and promoting further business and academic collaboration between the UK and Japan through trade missions, seminars, receptions, and panel discussions.

GREAT WEEKS

Sep 2019: Future of Financial Services

Showcasing the UK's leading policy areas in financial services, introducing the UK as a global hub and partner for fintech and cyber security

Feb 2020: Clean Growth

Promoting UK policy and technical expertise in offshore wind, encouraging decarbonisation as part of a sustainable future

Mar 2020: Healthy Ageing

Highlighting the scale of the challenge posed by ageing societies and the opportunities it presents, proposing UK-Japan collaboration and future partnership

May 2020: Future Mobility

A broad focus on mobility, as well as covering core UK strengths such as autonomous driving, CAV, low emissions, cyber security, and development of smart cities. Exploring solutions to issues such as mobility and access for disabled people, linking through to the Paralympics

July 2020: Creativity

Showcasing the UK as a global leader for creativity and how art & design intersects with new technologies such as AI and robotics

UK Food and Drink will be showcased at "Food is GREAT Gallery" at three Rugby World Cup host cities for Home Nation's games, giving Japanese consumers a taste of Britain, with particular focus on gin, English sparkling wine, and British beef and lamb. - Sapporo (21-23 Sep), Kobe (28-30 Sep) and Tokyo (12-14 Oct)

During the campaign, the British Embassy will be used as the "UK House" for various programmes such as receptions, conferences, pitch sessions, performances and welcome ceremonies for athletes.

Arts, Culture and Education

The campaign will introduce the rich and diverse creativity of British art and will heighten collaboration among artists and arts institutions in Japan and the UK. A wide variety of programmes will be held throughout the year: the classical music festival BBC Proms will come to Japan for the first time; London's National Gallery will hold the first ever overseas exhibition anywhere in the world of works from its collection; and a wide variety of other concerts, exhibitions and stage performances will be held in addition to collaboration projects between Japanese and British artists.

In October 2019, the British Council and Ise City will co-host the Ise City Residency, an artists in residence programme in which 6 groups of British artists will be invited to research the Ise Jingu (Ise Grand Shrine) and the surrounding local areas and communities. Also, the London Symphony Orchestra and Japanese musicians will collaboratively host Discovery for 2020, a programme that aims to engage diverse members of the community in the creation of new music. Furthermore, disabled artists from Japan, the UK and Bangladesh will collaborate to perform a new stage version of Shakespeare's Tempest.

In the area of education, the campaign will support opportunities for young people to be successful as global citizens. The Study UK Japan Exhibition 2019 will take place in October 2019 with 45 UK educational institutions, attending to introduce the various study opportunities they offer. New Directions 2019, an international academic conference, will be hosted by the British Council to introduce innovative approaches to English language assessment in the midst of the reform of university entrance exams in Japan.