In Cardiff, First Minister Eluned Morgan launched the year-long campaign and was joined by Hiroshi Suzuki, Ambassador of Japan to the UK. A panel discussion took place with representatives from the business, cultural and education sectors with connections between Wales and Japan.
Wales has had a long and close relationship with Japan since the first investments in Wales by Japanese companies in the 1970s and this connection was celebrated at the Tokyo launch event with two keynote speakers - Masaki Kurebayashi, who was previously in charge of investment management, production management and procurement for Sony UK Technology Centre, and Susumu Kaminaga, the former President of Sumitomo Precision Products（SPP) who ran SPP’s subsidiary in Wales at that time for over four years in the 1990s. They spoke fondly of their time spent in Wales, the uniqueness of the nation and their hopes for continued collaboration and friendship in 2025 and beyond.
Both launches also referenced Wales’ involvement in Expo 2025 Osaka where there will be designated Wales Days at the UK Pavilion on April 29th and June 24th, alongside a year-long programme of cultural and sporting activities throughout Japan that exemplifies the warm relationship with Wales.
A Wales Japan Culture Fund, managed by Wales Arts International and British Council Wales, with support from the Welsh Government and Arts Council of Wales, will support activity connecting Wales and Japan this year. The fund aims to develop new artistic collaborations and to engage new audiences, while strengthening existing partnerships. At the Cardiff event, head of Wales Arts International, Eluned Hâf, said ‘It’s going to be an incredible year for arts and culture. The cultural relationship goes back centuries, but the contemporary relationship is dynamic and very creative’.