The Prince of Wales Visits Wales Rugby World Cup Training Ground

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THE PRINCE OF WALES VISITS JAPAN

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The Prince of Wales visits Wales Rugby World Cup training ground

On arrival at Chichibunomiya, the semi-final training venue for Wales Rugby, His Royal Highness will be met by Team Manager, Alan Phillips and introduced to the team as they hold a closed training session.

The ninth Rugby World Cup kicked off on 20th September and is the first time the tournament has been held in Asia, outside rugby’s traditional heartland nations. The tournament has seen 20 teams including the four Home Nation sides (England, Scotland, Wales and an all-Ireland team) compete for the Webb Ellis Cup.

Wales will face South Africa in the semi-final on 27th October. The final takes place on 2nd November.

The Prince of Wales has been Honorary Patron of the Llandovery Rugby Football club since 2009 and Patron of The London Welsh Rugby Football Club since 1985.

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The Prince of Wales visits HMS Enterprise at Harumi Pier

On arrival at Harumi Pier, His Royal Highness will be greeted at the gangplank by the ship’s captain, Royal Navy Commander Cecil Ladislaus, and the British Defence Attaché to Japan, Captain Simon Staley. After meeting the Japanese Minister for Defence, Taro Kono, on the ship’s bridge, His Royal Highness will meet HMS Enterprise’s crew. On the ship, His Royal Highness will also meet a group of people who are at the forefront of responding to the challenges of plastics in the ocean and climate change, including senior figures from the Japan Climate Leaders Partnership. His Royal Highness will see a range of plastic alternatives for consumers, commercial and industrial users and will speak with scientists working internationally to understand the scale of the problem and explore potential answers. Reducing marine pollution, including micro-plastics, and preserving biodiversity have been major themes of Japan’s G20 Presidency. The Japan Climate Leaders Partnership (JCLP) has committed to phasing out coal and pushed for a more ambitious long-term climate strategy for Japan. HRH launched the group on his last visit to Japan some 10 years ago. Since their launch JCLP has grown to include over 100 member companies. This year JCLP was awarded the Foreign Minister of Japan’s commendation.

Since the UK-Japan Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation was announced in August 2017, four HMS came to Japan to strengthen the UK and Japan’s cooperation in security.

In January 2019, during PM Abe’s visit to London, the UK and Japan reaffirmed the Joint Declarations on Security Cooperation to promote the rules-based international system and to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

HMS Enterprise is the fifth HMS coming to Japan after August 2017, and is an Echo-class multi-role survey vessel – hydrographic oceanographic (SVHO) launched in 2002 with 50 personnel on board. She has surveyed hundreds of thousands of square miles of ocean floor, filled in as the Falkland Island’s Patrol Vessel, and most recently acted as the flagship to Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group 2. In her last deployment, she saved 9,180 lives.

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The Prince of Wales visits Zōjōji Temple

His Royal Highness will be met at Kuromon (the Black Gate) by Yagi-daika, the Head Monk of Zōjōji. After a brief introduction to the temple’s history, His Royal Highness will visit Kyozo (the Buddhist Scripture Storage Hall). Before departing, His Royal Highness will visit the Temple museum with Professor Bill Coaldrake M.V.O. and hear about the Taitokuinden model, currently on long-term lease from The Royal Collection.

Zojoji is one of the headquarters of the Jodo tradition of Japanese Buddhism, established in 1393.

The Taitokuinden Mausoleum was the grave of the second Tokugawa Shogun, built in 1632. The building became a pattern for all subsequent mausoleum architecture. The building was registered as a nationally important cultural property in 1930. Prior to this a large miniature model of the main two halls of the Taitokuinden was commissioned by the city of Tokyo for the 1910 Japan–British Exhibition in London. The model was given as a gift to King George V and was later displayed at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew. The original Taitokuinden Mausoleum was destroyed during World War II by wartime bombing of Tokyo in 1945. In 2014, the miniature model was restored and returned to Japan on long-term loan from The Royal Collection and is displayed in a special exhibition at the Zojoji temple.

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The Prince of Wales visits Mitsukoshi Department Store

As part of the GREAT campaign, His Royal Highness will visit the Fortnum and Mason café, where there will be a showcase of British food and drink including a display of Highgrove products and will greet senior members of six distributors of British brands.

The Food is GREAT campaign was launched in April 2019. This event forms part of a series of activity British Embassy Tokyo has been running throughout the Rugby World Cup 2019 Tournament in Japan.

Current UK exports to Japan of alcoholic drinks are worth £101.4m, but over 80% (£82m) of this is in Scotch Whisky. However, Gin, English Sparkling Wine and beer imports from the UK are growing. UK gins were ranked number one in value terms in 2017 and comprise over 80% of Japan’s total imported gins.

While not the focus of this event, the ban on British Beef and Lamb was lifted in January 2019 and initial interest from Japanese industry has shown a strong interest in UK lamb. The first import of Welsh Lamb on a commercial basis arrived in Japan in September. This is a huge milestone for the Food is GREAT campaign. In November 2019, the seven Prince hotels in Tokyo will offer Welsh Lamb and British Beef to Japanese consumers for one month as part of their British Fair.

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The Prince of Wales attends a Reception at The Ambassador’s Residence

His Royal Highness will be the guest of honour at a reception to celebrate UK-Japan partnerships hosted by British Ambassador HE Paul Madden at his Residence. His Royal Highness will greet guests, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Taro Aso, in the Residence Garden. Before departure, His Royal Highness will make closing remarks. The British Embassy and British Council in Japan are running a ‘UK in JAPAN 2019- 20′ campaign until the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in September 2020. The campaign will showcase the best of UK business, culture, science and education, and work to deepen existing, and create new partnerships between the UK and Japan. The reception will serve as the opening of ‘UK House’ which will host a series of events throughout the year-long campaign. Food and drink from all corners of the UK including Scottish salmon and Welsh lamb will be served with a Japanese twist

The Residence Garden is intended to be an English garden but is naturally influenced by Japanese styles. His Royal Highness planted the magnolia tree during a visit to Japan in May 1986. HRH The Duke of Cambridge planted the Taihaku (Great White Cherry) in February 2015.

Details of the UK in JAPAN 2019-20 campaign can be found at: www.ukinjapan.com (Japanese only)

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The Prince of Wales attends the Prime Minister’s Return Banquet at Hotel New Otani

On arrival, His Royal Highness will be welcomed by Prime Minister Abe and his wife, Akie Abe. The banquet will feature a number of cultural performances, a speech by the Prime Minister and dinner in the Tsuru banquet room.

Two traditional plays, with explanatory videos, will be performed prior to Prime Minister Abe’s speech and dinner. The first, a play entitled Sanbaso, will incorporate elements of kyogen, kabuki and bunraku. Kyogen is a form of traditional comic theatre, whilst kabuki is a classical Japanese dance-drama, known for its stylisation and elaborate make-up. Bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre. The second performance will be a Noh play, entitled Shakkyo (The Stone Bridge). Noh is a classical Japanese musical drama, dating from around the fourteenth century.

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