Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department took to support the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony in August 2024; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the non-attendance of the UK ambassador on relations between the UK and Japan.
Answered by Catherine West
We have consistently been represented at the Nagasaki peace ceremony by our Ambassador or a senior diplomat since 2010. Last year was no different: the British Embassy's Minister Counsellor Political, our second most senior diplomat in Japan at the time, attended the ceremony in Nagasaki on 9 August 2024. Our Ambassador attended a separate Buddhist ceremony to mark the anniversary on the same day at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo. The UK-Japan relationship is the strongest it has been for decades. The Prime Minister and I have affirmed the UK's continued commitment to the UK-Japan Global Strategic Partnership.