New UK-Japan partnership to boost economic growth and cultural exchanges

Current and future business leaders across the UK and Japan will benefit from a range of new opportunities thanks to the innovative Musubi Initiative launched at the World Expo in Osaka by UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy today.

The initiative, which begins a new phase of UK-Japan cooperation, will draw in private funding to support a diverse range of programmes to create lasting connections spanning youth scholarships, sport, cultural exchanges, science, innovation and opportunities for women in business in both countries. It builds upon the UK and Japan's increasingly strong relationship, reflected in collaboration on defence, security, digital innovation and expanding trade through the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Hiroshima Accord.

Named after the Japanese word for 'connection', the Musubi Initiative is a first-of-its-kind for the UK-Japan partnership and will strengthen ties and grow the international talent pool needed to grasp future opportunities.

Unveiled as part of the UK National Day celebrations at World Expo 2025 Osaka, it represents another step forward in delivering the Government's Plan for Change by fostering international relationships that drive economic growth and opportunity.

UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy said:

"The UK's vibrant display in Osaka demonstrates the breadth of creativity and innovation from across our four nations and our strong partnership with Japan. From BBC Planet Earth and Paddington to our world-famous musicians, the UK's creative industries are a truly global hit, worth £125 billion to our economy and vital to our Plan for Change - it's great to see them in the spotlight today as part of UK National Day.

"I am delighted that we have deepened our relationship with Japan further through this new Musubi Initiative, which will create even more opportunities for businesses in both the UK and Japan now and in the future."

Pioneer Partners

The Culture Secretary announced the first group of Musubi Pioneer Partners, who will help deliver the initiative's vision, including:

Sports programmes: 

• Liverpool Football Club International Academy sports programme supported by Musubi developing young players and providing opportunities to build leadership qualities. 

• The UK Ekiden, inspired by Japan's famous relay race, with UK and Japanese university students participating. 

Educational programmes: 

• A new Musubi Scholarship with University College London supported by Amano Enzyme Inc. for Japanese students, building on an over 160-year relationship between the university and Japan. 

• A Youth Offshore Wind Scholarship Programme with SSE Pacifico to foster future talent in the offshore wind sector, including study abroad opportunities in Scotland. 

• The Robert Walters career development programme to help bright young people, including Chevening Scholars, reach their full potential.

Leadership programmes: 

• An event focussed on Women's Economic Empowerment and strengthening relationships between female exporters in Japan and the UK, co-hosted by the UK and Japan at Osaka Expo.   

• The Musubi Alumni programme will bring together the talent and potential of alumni across our programmes. 

Representing the strong links between the UK and Japan, Hello Kitty presented by Sanrio, the globally popular Japanese brand, will be the Musubi Friendship Ambassador, while Japanese firm Dentsu PR Consulting Inc. will be providing PR advisory services.

The programmes under the Musubi Initiative will be delivered with an ambition to create a long-lasting legacy and network of alumni that will become champions of their communities, their country and of UK-Japan relations.

The Culture Secretary has also been in Japan to promote Britain's creative industries overseas, push British brands within Japanese markets, and attract trade and investment into the UK that can be redistributed across the country to the places where it is needed the most. 

Yesterday (21 May) the Culture Secretary met with Minoru Kiuchi, a senior Japanese minister with responsibility for the Cool Japan Strategy, in Tokyo to discuss strengthening creative industries collaboration. She also met with executives from major video games organisations, including Bandai Namco and Nintendo, as well as the Japanese cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

Japan is currently the UK's 6th largest investor, with an inward Foreign Direct Investment stock of more than £86 billion at the end of 2023, and with bilateral trade worth £31 billion in 2024. Japanese investment into the UK has already roughly doubled over the last decade, with nearly 1,000 Japanese companies sustaining 200,000 UK jobs.

Exports Minister Gareth Thomas said: 

“The UK and Japan enjoy a dynamic and enduring trading relationship, with £86 billion in investment to the UK economy.

“As part of the Government's Plan for Change, initiatives like the Musubi Initiative and Expo 2025 are helping to strengthen our ties with key economic partners, creating new opportunities for businesses and deepening people-to-people connections across the world.”

 Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said:

“It is connections between people that develop our societies and serve as a foundation for exchanges between countries. 

“In the Japan-UK Hiroshima Accord, issued by the leaders of Japan and the UK in 2023, we also confirmed our cooperation in revitalising people-to-people exchanges, including in the key areas of tourism, studying abroad, culture, and the working holiday programme.

“I hope this initiative will strengthen our “Musubi (bonds)” especially among the younger generation and that our partnership, now stronger than ever, will continue to grow.”

The UK's presence at World Expo 2025 is providing a global showcase for British companies and creative talent.

To mark UK National Day (22 May), there were musical performances from all four UK nations featured across Yumeshima Island, from bagpipes to bass guitars. This was followed by the Japanese premiere of BBC's 'Planet Earth III Live in Concert'.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• Supporting VisitBritain's new Starring GREAT Britain campaign, beloved characters including Paddington, Peter Rabbit and Shaun the Sheep made appearances outside the UK Pavilion, delighting visitors as the campaign trailer played across the Expo site.

• UK National Day highlighted creative collaborations between British and Japanese performers, with Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo performers joined by traditional Japanese Taiko Drummers, music from BBC Planet Earth III performed by the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, and British rapper Shao Dow performing in Japanese.

• The British Ambassador to Japan, Julia Longbottom, said: “We want Musubi to live up to its name, creating and supporting the leaders of tomorrow by fostering long-term, meaningful connections between people in the UK and Japan. The relationship between the UK and Japan is stronger than ever, and we want to invite as many even more businesses and organisations to join us as we look to build the shared leadership needed to grasp future opportunities and tackle future challenges.”

• UK Commissioner General for Expo 2025, Carolyn Davidson said: "With an estimated audience of over 28 million expected Japanese and international visitors and more than 150 countries represented, Expo 2025 Osaka offers a unique platform to raise awareness of the UK as a dynamic and innovative country on the world stage. Our National Day is a representation of the best of British and Japanese fusion from across our creative industries, and I am delighted that our countries' close partnership will be further enriched through Project Musubi, boosting our people-to-people connections and delivering projects that invest in the next generation of UK and Japanese leaders.”

At a reception of UK National Day at the World Expo in Osaka, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 

It's a pleasure to welcome you all to the UK's Pavilion to celebrate our National Day at the Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai. I would especially like to extend a warm welcome to Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko of Mikasa and former Prime Minister Kishida, both good friends of the United Kingdom.

The UK and Japan bilateral relationship is the strongest it has been in decades, underpinned by our common values, shared view of the world and our close people-to-people links. From security to economic growth and working together to tackle global challenges, our partnership is going from strength to strength. This step-up in collaboration was launched under the 2023 Hiroshima Accord – with thanks to former Prime Minister Kishida – and last year Prime Ministers Starmer and Ishiba agreed to build on it even further. The State Visit to the UK by Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan in June last year celebrated the depth and breadth of our partnership – as His Majesty the Emperor said, ‘we are friends like no other'. 

I have seen this partnership first-hand here in Japan. And if you have had a chance to go through our visitor experience today, you will have seen the power of UK and Japanese collaboration. We can achieve so much more when we harness our shared creativity and innovation. In this spirit, the National Ballet of Japan makes their European debut at the Royal Opera House in London with their production of “Giselle” in July, under the artistic direction of Yoshida Miyako, who made her career as the first Japanese Principal ballerina in the UK's Royal Ballet.

Ours is a partnership that is more relevant than ever. With growing uncertainty and instability around the world, there is so much that the UK and Japan can do together to ‘design future society for our lives'. This is, I believe, the defining challenge of our lives - to empower people the world over to build a world that works for us, and us for it. 

So, I am delighted to be launching Musubi: a flagship new initiative that will foster meaningful people-to-people connections between the UK and Japan and build the shared leadership to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead of us. 

That includes championing our young people and building a pool of international talent. And today we are announcing: 

* A new Musubi Scholarship with University College London, supported by Amano Enzyme Inc.;
* A Youth Offshore Wind Scholarship Programme with SSE Pacifico to foster future talent in this dynamic sector; and
* The Robert Walters career development programme to help our brightest young people reach their full potential.
* It includes drawing on the power of sport to build connections and enrich lives. Where:
* 2025 Premier League winners Liverpool Football Club's International Academy in Kawasaki is developing young players and providing opportunities to build leadership qualities.
* And the UK Ekiden – inspired of course by Japan's famous relay race – is bringing teams together in a celebration of teamwork, connection and friendship.

And it includes building the leadership of the future.  Later this summer at this Pavilion the UK and Japan will host an event focused on promoting female leadership in business, building on the fact that our agreement with Japan was the first UK trade agreement to include a chapter on women's economic empowerment.

All of this will be championed by our Musubi Friendship Ambassador – Hello Kitty, presented by Sanrio. 

 This is the most ambitious initiative of its kind between the UK and Japan – but it is also just the beginning. Over the years to come, this initiative will continue to grow – building a lasting legacy of connections and opportunity for our countries. Thank you to all our Pioneer Partners – and I hope to see many other companies and organisations joining us on this journey! I am now delighted to introduce a congratulatory message from The Princess Royal in her capacity as Chancellor of the University of London.

Finally, this event and indeed our pavilion itself would not have been possible without our key sponsors and contributors: I would especially like to thank AstraZeneca, Aston Martin, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Diageo's Johnnie Walker, Robert Walters, Liberty, the governments of Scotland and Wales, Ampetronic, Brompton and last but certainly not least, BBC Studios.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone here this evening – I'm delighted that we have been able to gather so many of the UK's closest friends in Japan, and I know with your support the UK-Japan partnership will continue to flourish. Arigato gozaimasu!