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THE JAPAN-BRITISH SOCIETY AWARDS

As part of its centenary celebrations in 2008, The Japan-British Society set up an Awards scheme, with a view to making it an annual programme. The aim of the Awards is to recognise significant contribution in the field of Japanese-British relations by individuals and organisations who have otherwise not been acknowledged.

At the Society’s Annual Dinner held on 28th November, H.I.H. Princess Akiko of Mikasa presented inscribed silverware to Mr. Masamichi Yokoi (The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Tokyo Office) and Mr. Richard Halberstadt, the recipients of this year’s Japan-British Society Awards, for their contributions to the furthering of Anglo-Japanese relations.

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is a UK charity established in 1988 with a generous benefaction from Daiwa Securities Co., Ltd. The Foundation’s purpose is to support closer links between Britain and Japan, making grants available to individuals, institutions and organisations to promote links between the two countries across all fields of activity, awarding scholarships to young British graduates to study Japan and its language, and so forth. The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Tokyo Office has supported nearly 200 young Britons visiting Japan on Daiwa Scholarships. These Daiwa Scholars had little knowledge of Japan or its language on arrival in Tokyo, but the scholarships allowed them to acquire Japanese language skills and contribute to UK-Japan relations in various fields, such as art, business and education.

Mr. Richard Halberstadt is from Reading. He graduated from SOAS, University of London (Japanese Department) and obtained an MA in literature at Reading University. He has lived in Ishinomaki, Miyagi since 1993, where he taught at Ishinomaki Senshu University. On the 11th March 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami struck the Ishinomaki area, he decided to continue living with the local people and devote himself to reconstruction. In 2015, he became the director of the Ishinomaki Community and Information Centre, where local residents and visitors could interact and share information about the earthquake and tsunami. He still receives requests for interviews, lectures, and writing about the earthquake and the current situation in Ishinomaki both in English and Japanese.


Mr Masamichi Yokoi, Director of Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation Tokyo Office (right), Mr Richard Halberstadt (left)