Reflections on the State Visit by Their Majesties the Emperor andEmpress of Japan
Written byH. E. Mr HAYASHI Hajime,Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United Kingdom
The Thames and I: A Memoir of Two Years at Oxford, originally written by His Majesty
The Emperor in 1993, was re-published last year (2023) in Japanese. In the newlyadded Afterword, His Majesty wrote, “I hope that in the not-too-distant future I will beable to visit the UK again with Masako, who also studied at the University of Oxford(Japanese edition: p. 217, English edition in 2024: p. 148).”
Indeed, this wish was recently fulfilled when Their Majesties The Emperor and Empressof Japan visited the United Kingdom as guests of honour from 22nd to 28th June, withthe official programme taking place from 25th to 27th June. This marked the third State
Visit in the history of Anglo-Japanese relations, following those by Their Majesties
Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun in 1971 and Their Majesties The Emperor Emeritusand Empress Emerita in 1998, adding another historic visit to the long line of exchanges
between Japan and the UK up to the present day.
The unbreakable friendship and trust between Japan and the UK
Despite many hurdles, the State Visit by Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress stillcame to fruition, reflecting the unbreakable friendship and trust between our twocountries. The first invitation for a State Visit came from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth IIin 2019, soon after His Majesty The Emperor's enthronement. At the time I was not yet
in my current position as Ambassador of Japan to the United Kingdom and was working
as a senior official in the Cabinet Secretariat in Tokyo. I remember having numerous
discussions with officials about heightening cooperation in the economic and security
fields to further deepen the Japan-UK relationship prior to the visit. However, due tothe subsequent Covid-19 pandemic, the visit was postponed and the schedule revised.
When I was appointed Ambassador of Japan to the United Kingdom in December 2020,
the country was still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of thefollowing year, the UK was among the first to begin rolling out vaccinations, but I wasstrongly aware it would be a great challenge for a State Visit to take place under suchcircumstances. That same year, the UK chaired the G7 summit face-to-face in Cornwall
1and the international community showed signs of recovery from the pandemic. Awindow of opportunity for a State Visit seemed to be opening up again. However, in
September of the following year Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and Their
Majesties The Emperor and Empress thus visited the UK for a different purpose: toattend Her Majesty’s State Funeral.
His Majesty King Charles III duly succeeded to the throne, with his Coronation in 2023
attended by Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Princess Akishino. Just before
the Coronation, the new edition of His Majesty’s The Thames and I: A Memoir of TwoYears at Oxford was re-published with the sentence which I quoted. Subsequently, inFebruary of this year, His Majesty The King announced that he was suffering fromcancer. However, as a result of careful coordination between Japan and the UK and inlight of His Majesty’s smooth recovery, on 27th April (JST) the Imperial Household andthe Royal Household announced that they would proceed with preparations in order torealise Their Majesties’ visit to the UK in late June this year.
Preparations for the visit were indeed proceeding swiftly between both countries and,just as it seemed the State Visit would finally come to fruition, on 22nd May (BST) Prime
Minister Sunak suddenly announced a general election would be held on 4th July. The
UK side required an initial period of consideration about whether to proceed but,taking into account the purpose of exchanges between the Imperial and Royal Families,
it decided that Their Majesties' State Visit would continue as scheduled. I myself
continued to remind British Government senior officials and key figures that, fromJapan’s point of view, a general election did not detract from the significance of theState Visit. Thus, although Japan and the UK faced many difficulties in the process oforganising the visit, I am convinced that it came about on the strength of theunbreakable ties of friendship and trust between our two countries.
Dramatic developments in the Anglo-Japanese partnership
The partnership between Japan and the UK, forged on a foundation of friendship andtrust, developed dramatically over the years preceding the State Visit. The signing andimplementation of the Japan-UK Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(EPA) and the Japan-UK Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), the negotiation andpractical conclusion of the UK's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive
Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the announcement of a port call toJapan by the UK Carrier Strike Group in 2025, and the launch of the Global Combat Air

2Programme (GCAP) by Japan, the UK and Italy are all major developments that havetaken place since 2020.
If we reflect on the modern history of our partnership, it is notable that suchcollaboration has not always been evident: under the Cameron Administration from2010 to 2016, there was much discussion of a "golden age" between the UK and China,
and differences between our countries' positions on several diplomatic issues became
apparent at times. However, changes within the UK due to Brexit triggered thedevelopment of the Japan-UK partnership we enjoy today, and the two countries havesince worked together increasingly closely on important diplomatic issues as true,
international strategic partners who share fundamental values and strategic interests
at multiple levels. The Hiroshima Accord, issued by Prime Minister Kishida and Prime
Minister Sunak in May 2023, is the most conspicuous recent achievement, which
epitomises this dramatic development in the Anglo-Japanese partnership.
The State Visit and the Japan-UK Partnership
Their Majesties' State Visit was also an opportunity to demonstrate to the international
community that the depth of the Japan-UK partnership extends beyond simple
diplomatic goodwill. During this visit, I was touched by the depth of friendship andtrust that exists between His Majesty The Emperor and His Majesty King Charles III.
Looking back, His Majesty the Emperor studied at Oxford University for just over twoyears from 1983 to 1985, and since then he has visited the UK a total of four times,
including his visit for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's State Funeral the year before
last. Meanwhile, His Majesty King Charles III has visited Japan five times, beginningwith his trip to the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka and culminating in his attendanceat the Enthronement Ceremony of His Majesty The Emperor in 2019. On each occasion
they have built on their very broad and deep friendship. Meanwhile, the relationshipbetween Her Majesty The Empress and Her Majesty Queen Camilla is similarly cordial.
On various occasions during the State Visit, I saw the four of them talking very
animatedly as well as bidding each other an affectionate farewell at the end, and as awitness I couldn’t help but feel as if they were akin to a true family.
Further reflecting upon Their Majesties' visit, I would like to share a few of the mostmemorable episodes. Firstly, there was the carriage procession from the Horse Guards
Parade to Buckingham Palace on 25th June as part of the ceremonial welcome. The Mallleading to Buckingham Palace was bedecked with Japanese and British flags, and many
people of both nationalities as well as tourists from elsewhere waved Japanese flags in3

warm welcome. It was extremely moving watching the Union Jacks and the Japanese
flags, symbolising the sun, fluttering in the breeze along the Mall as Their Majesties
made their way towards Buckingham palace, cheered on by Japanese, British and otherpeople from around the world. I saw Their Majesties’ faces from a distance as they
arrived at the Palace, and they looked very relaxed and pleased with their visit. I also
subsequently had the opportunity to ride in the fourth carriage following TheirMajesties The King and The Emperor, Their Majesties The Queen and The Empress, andHis Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and was touched at the ever-growing scale ofthe Anglo-Japanese partnership.
The second episode was His Majesty The King’s speech at the dinner hosted by Their
Majesties The King and Queen at Buckingham Palace on the same day. His Majesty
referred three times to the partnership between the UK and Japan and declared that it
was deep-rooted, centered on a close friendship, and would continue to grow in thefuture. In reply, His Majesty The Emperor noted that the Anglo-Japanese relationshipwas developing faster than ever on the foundation of multi-layered, robust
collaboration and exchange. The tone of Their Majesties' speeches was remarkably
consistent, even though there had been no prior coordination, making this visit a
symbolic opportunity to demonstrate that the two countries shared a vision ofpartnership that went beyond simple diplomatic goodwill.
Another episode of note was the conferment of an honorary degree on Her Majesty
The Empress on 28th June at the University of Oxford. During the ceremony, HerMajesty, together with His Majesty The Emperor, appeared in a red gown, just likewhen His Majesty had received his honorary degree in 1991. There is a Japanesecustom known as ‘kanreki,’ in which we wear a red vest upon reaching the age of 60,and I felt that this seemed symbolic of the Empress having become 60 last December.
*Kanreki is viewed as rebirth in that, having gone through the Chinese zodiac cycle a
total of five times, one is now back at the original zodiac sign.
Finally, although most of the preparations had been finalised, my wife and I wereconcerned about the weather for the State Visit. It was about three hours before thegovernment plane arrived at London Stansted Airport that we were blessed withbeautiful clear blue skies. In the end, there was not a single day of rain during Their
Majesties' stay and, although the temperature varied slightly, I like to think that theweather was very lovely and typical of late June in England and thus very supportive of
Their Majesties' visit.

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Looking onwards after the State Visit
The amazing friendship forged between Japan and the United Kingdom was not built
overnight. It is the result of a deep trust that has steadily accumulated over a long
period of time. During the State Visit, in addition to the programmes at Buckingham
Palace etc., numerous locations were visited: Japan House London, the Thames Barrier,the Francis Crick Institute (which houses the world's most advanced science andtechnology), the Royal College of Music, the young V&A, the Royal Botanic Gardens ofKew, as well as the magnificent Guildhall in the City of London and the illustrious
academic hub of Oxford. Also, His Majesty The Emperor attended a Reception with theJapanese Community & Friends of Japan organised by The Japan Society in the UK,
Nippon Club, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the UK, Japan
Association in the UK, and The Japanese Women’s Association in Great Britain. Each ofthese programmes provided an opportunity to witness this Anglo-Japanese partnershipmaturing in a wide variety of fields, and the sites selected were those where notablecooperation and collaboration between Japan and the UK is under way in areas such as
disaster prevention, cutting-edge science and technology, business and investment, thearts, cultural activities that inspire children, biodiversity initiatives, and academic andeducational exchange.
Most recently, the general election on 4th July resulted in the formation of the first
Labour government in 14 years, headed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Japan willcontinue to develop the ever-growing Anglo-Japanese partnership with this new
government, founded upon the unwavering friendship and trust our two countries
have built up over the years.

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