UK-Japan 21st Century Group | 41st Conference

March 14–16, 2025
London and Fordham

The 41st annual meeting of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group convened in Fordham Abbey, Fordham, England, on February 14–16. The delegation began their stay in London, where the Japanese delegation paid a courtesy call to No. 10 Downing Street, where they were welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, and attended a lunch hosted by Japan’s Ambassador to the UK. 

More than 40 members from the United Kingdom and Japan traveled to Fordham, northeast of London, to participate in the dialogue. Over the course of eight sessions, politicians, journalists, businesspeople, and scholars discussed key topics including critical issues facing bilateral relations and global geopolitics, including the importance of universal healthcare as a means of combatting both noncommunicable diseases and infectious diseases; how the countries can promote greater partnership in science & technology and university education; the latest developments in and implications of IT, cyber, and AI; and promoting collaboration to address energy security and climate change.

A summary of discussions and recommendations is being prepared by the co-chairs to be presented to their respective governments and will be shared when available.

Accordion Content

March 13

LONDON PROGRAMME

Call at No. 10 Downing Street with Deputy Prime Minister Rayner
Lunch hosted by the Japanese Ambassador to the UK
Reception at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
 

March 14 

FORDHAM ABBEY PROGRAMME

Opening remarks by Co-Chairmen 

Lord McConnell, Co-Chairman, UK-Japan 21st Century Group
Seiji Kihara, Co-Chairman, UK-Japan 21st Century Group

Session 1: Latest Developments in Japanese and UK Politics and the Economy

UK SPEAKER: Philip Collins, Founder and Writer, The Draft
JAPANESE SPEAKER: Seiji Kihara

Session 2: The Importance of Universal Healthcare in Tackling Non-Communicable and Infectious Diseases

UK SPEAKER: Dr. Wendy Harrison, Chief Executive Officer, Unlimit Health
JAPANESE SPEAKER: Kayo Takuma, Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University

Session 3: Science and Technology Cooperation and University Partnerships

UK SPEAKER: Vivienne Stern, Chief Executive Universities UK                                                                       
JAPANESE SPEAKER: Takahiro Ueyama, Special Advisor, Science, Technology and Innovation, Cabinet Office 

Dinner

SPEAKER: Lord McDonald Of Salford, Master of Christ’s College Cambridge and former Head of HM Diplomatic Service

 

March 15

Session 4: Geopolitical Challenges

UK SPEAKER: Gillian Tett, Columnist and Member of the Editorial Board Financial Times, Provost of King’s College, Cambridge
JAPANESE SPEAKER: Yuichi Hosoya, Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University
COMMENTS:  Hiroyuki Akita, Commentator, Nikkei

Session 5: Information, Cyber and AI

UK SPEAKER: Dr. Philip Shetler Jones, Senior Research Fellow Indo Pacific Security, Royal United Services Institute
JAPANESE SPEAKER: Ren Ito, Co-Founder and COO Sakana AI

Session 6:  Energy Security and Climate Change

UK SPEAKER: Declan Burke, Director of Group Strategy SSE
JAPANESE SPEAKER: Hideaki Takase, Managing Corporate                    Executive Group CSO, MUFG Bank, Ltd.

March 16

Session 7: Chairmen’s Summary Dialogue

Session 8: Conclusions and Recommendations

JAPANESE PARTICIPANTS

Mr. Seiji Kihara

Japanese Co-Chairman, UK-Japan 21st Century Group; Member of the House of Representatives (LDP)

Mr. Hiroyuki Akita

Commentator, Nikkei Shimbun

Mr. Yasuo Hirano

Executive General Manager, Hitachi Europe GmbH – Brussels Office

Prof. Yuichi Hosoya

Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University

Mr. Ren Ito

Co-Founder & COO, Sakana AI

Mr. Isao Kano

President, Japan Center for International Exchange; Japanese Executive Director, UK-Japan 21st Century Group

Mr. Hideo Kawafune

Managing Executive Officer Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa Division and CEO of SMBC Bank International plc

Mr. Shunji Kurita 

President & CEO, Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.

Ms. Rui Matsukawa

Member of the House of Councillors (LDP)

Mr. Mitsunari Okamoto

Member of the House of Representatives (Komei)

Mr. Kazuto Omomo

Director, Strategy & Planning, Corporate Strategy, Eisai Europe Ltd.

Mr. Koya Ozeki

European Bureau Chief, The Yomiuri Shimbun

Mr. Kazumi Sugimoto

Member of the House of Representatives (JIP)

Amb. Hiroshi Suzuki

Japanese Ambassador to UK

Mr. Akihiko Takada

Senior Vice President, CRO, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Mitsubishi Corporation; Managing Director, Mitsubishi Corporation International (Europe) Plc.; General Manager, London Branch, Mitsubishi Corporation

Mr. Hideaki Takase

Managing Corporate Executive Group CSO, MUFG Bank, Ltd

Prof. Kayo Takuma

Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University

Mr. Koji Tsuruoka

President, The International Affairs Research Institute; former Japanese Ambassador to the UK

Dr. Takahiro Ueyama

Special Advisor, Science, Technology and Innovation, Cabinet Office, Japan

UK PARTICIPANTS

Lord (Jack) McConnell

UK Co-Chairman, UK-Japan 21st Century Group; House of Lords (Labour Party)

Baroness (Elizabeth) Barker

House of Lords (Liberal Democratic Party)

Mr. Declan Burke

Director of Group Strategy, SSE

Sir Oliver Dowden MP

Member of Parliament (Conservative Party)

Mr. Philip Collins

Founder and Writer-in-Chief, The Draft

Mr. Philippe Fauchet

Founder, Mirasense Partners

Mr. David Fitton

UK Executive Director, UK-Japan 21st Century Group

Mr. Shaun Grady

Chairman AstraZeneca UK

Ms. Monica Harding MP

Member of Parliament (Liberal Democratic Party)

Dr. Wendy Harrison

Chief Executive Officer, Unlimit Health

Ms. Sharon Hodgson MP

Member of Parliament (Labour Party) and UK Trade Envoy to Japan

Mr. Stan Jackson

Global Public Affairs Lead, Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.

Dr. Sylvain Lacomble

Vice President Commercial Operations EMEA, Terumo

Lord (Andrew) Lansley

House of Lords (Conservative Party), Richmond Pharma

H. E. Julia Longbottom

British Ambassador to Japan

Dr. Ra Mason

Sasakawa Associate Professor of International Relations and Japanese Foreign Policy, University of East Anglia

Ms. Cindy Ng

Senior Vice President Global Commercial, Terumo Blood and Cell Technology; Group Executive Office, Terumo Corporation

Dr. John Nilsson-Wright

Head, Japan and Koreas Programme, Centre for Geopolitics, University of Cambridge; Fuji Bank Associate Prof. in Japanese Politics and International Relations, Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cambridge

Ms. Sarah Owen MP

Member of Parliament (Labour Party)

Mr. Rob Peer

President BAE Systems Japan GK

Dr. Philip Shetler Jones

Senior Research Fellow, Indo Pacific Security, Royal United Services Institute

Dr. Ben Spencer MP

Member of Parliament (Conservative Party)

Ms. Vivienne Stern

Chief Executive, Universities UK

Ms. Gillian Tett

Columnist and Member of the Editorial Board Financial Times, Provost of King’s College, Cambridge

Sir David Warren

Chair, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Former Ambassador to Japan

OBSERVERS

Mr. Tetsuya Kodama

Executive Director, Nihon Cyber Defence Co.

Mr. Benedict Lockhart

Ministry of Defence

Mr. Kotaro Katsuki

Minister, Embassy of Japan in UK

Mr. Ryo Kusui

First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in UK

Mr Masatoshi Sugiura

Director, Western Europe Division, European Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

SECRETARIAT

Mr. Arata Fukuoka 

Support Officer

Ms. Hifumi Tajima

Chief Program Officer, Japan Center for International Exchange

JCIE co-organizes the UK-Japan 21st Century Group with the Japan Society of the UK in London.