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Chairman Suzuki Holds the British Market Council 2024 New Year’s Party

The BMC New Year's Party was held on 22 January (Mon) at the Imperial Hotel's Sakura Room, with approximately 160 members and stakeholders in attendance.

Opening remarks were made by Chairman Suzuki, followed by addresses by British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom CMG, Mr Fukunaga, Director-General, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and Mr Asada, Honorary Corporate Advisor, Marubeni Corporation (Honorary Adviser, BMC and former Chairman). All expressed their condolences to the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake and wished for a quick recovery. They also noted that last year was a year of further development of co-operation between the UK and Japan and expressed hope for further development of relations between the two countries in the future.
Chairman Suzuki mentioned the BMC for its 50th anniversary last year and thanks the consistent support of its members and stakeholders. He also introduced a mission to the UK in last November on the theme of cleantech, and expressed the hope that this would lead to more business opportunities for member companies. Ambassador Julia Longbottom mentioned the Hiroshima Accord by the British and Japanese governments last May and the participation of the UK in the CPTPP last year. She stressed hopes for further development of UK-Japan relations, noting that £17.7 billion of Japanese investment in the UK was announced last year. Mr Fukunaga, Director-General, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, introduced his visit to the UK in January 2024 and stated that the METI would support the further development of trade and economic relations between the UK and Japan. Mr Asada, former Chairman introduced how the activities of the BMC, which initially aimed to promote the import of goods from the UK, have been changing with the times over the past 50 years, and how the lessons learnt from investing in the UK have been useful for current business.
The event was followed by a successful reception with the British Embassy, the METI, stakeholders and the members.