JLGC Office News July 2026

New staff arrival 

April saw Kosuke Watanabe and Yumiko Katayama arrive at JLGC London from Fukushima and Tokushima Prefectures respectively, joining the team at an important point in the annual cycle. From the outset, they began getting involved in ongoing work and picking up key relationships across UK, European and Japanese stakeholders, helping to keep things moving across programmes and activities. 

Their arrival has added useful capacity to JLGC London’s day-to-day work, while also bringing fresh perspectives into the team. It’s been a straightforward onboarding period, with both settling in quickly and starting to contribute to the organisation’s wider UK–Japan local government engagement work. 

New website, social media reminder 

The new JLGC London website has now gone live, providing a refreshed and more accessible platform for sharing information on programmes, events, and UK–Japan local government engagement. The updated site is designed to make it easier for stakeholders to find key resources, follow ongoing activity, and stay up to date with JLGC London’s work. 

Alongside the website launch, we’ve reorganised our social media updates and engagement. This is intended to ensure consistent messaging across channels and to encourage timely sharing of news, events, and opportunities, with professional and policy content on our LinkedIn page, and culture and tourism on Instagram. Together, the new website and renewed focus on social media support clearer communication and stronger visibility of JLGC London’s activities. 

Northumberland County Council and Alnwick Garden visit 

JLGC staff visited Business Northumberland and Visit Northumberland on 15 April to learn about regional approaches to tourism and economic policy. 

Northumberland faces familiar challenges to some regions of Japan: relatively low international visitor numbers and a high reliance on day trips. There are also ongoing discussions about how best to fund and manage tourism at the local level.  This has echoes in Japan, where some local authorities have introduced visitor levies to help manage demand and support regional dispersal.  

Thank you to Lauren St Hilaire, Head of Philanthropy and Partnerships at the Alnwick Garden, for coordinating the visit and later hosting a day of learning on third sector community outreach. We would also like to thank Northumberland County Council for sharing their expertise during the session. 

2026 JET Programme Pre-departure Orientation and Farewell Reception 

The Embassy of Japan in Ireland hosted the 2026 JET Programme Pre-departure Orientation and Farewell Reception on 20 June at Ambassador MIYAGAWA Manabu’s official residence in Dublin. This year, 38 Irish participants will join the JET Programme, taking up roles in schools, local authorities and other institutions across Japan, from Hokkaido to Kagoshima. 

The orientation provided practical preparation for life and work in Japan, including sessions on Japanese culture, teaching, educational resources, alumni experiences and security guidance. Participants also enjoyed a miko kagura dance performance and received encouraging remarks from Ambassador Miyagawa, who described JET as “a bridge between Ireland and Japan”. 

Representatives from JLGC London were also in attendance to support and engage with the outgoing cohort ahead of their departure to Japan in July. 

Düsseldorf Japan Tag 

JLGC London took part in Japan Day in Düsseldorf, manning an information booth alongside other organisations showcasing Germany–Japan links. The event provided a strong platform to engage with a broad audience, including local government, business, and the public. 

The team shared information on JLGC London’s work and current programmes, answered questions, and built new connections. Overall, the event helped raise awareness of JLGC London’s role and strengthen its presence within the wider Europe–Japan network. 

JLGC joins Impact Policy Network event 

JLGC London staff member Ayaka Hashimoto, seconded from Tokyo Metropolitan Government, delivered an online presentation as part of the Impact Policy Network, contributing to a discussion on policy exchange and practical approaches to local government challenges. The session provided an opportunity to share insights into the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s international strategies including city diplomacy, investment promotion, talent development and education. 

The presentation highlighted the importance of collaboration between cities in addressing today’s global challenges, such as sustainability, environment, and resilience, as well as the vital role that local governments can play in tackling these issues. It also reinforced JLGC London’s role in supporting knowledge exchange. 

Visit to Teesside University London

As part of staff professional development, we had the pleasure of visiting the Teesside University London satellite campus recently at Here East in East London. Since opening on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2023, the campus has gone from strength to strength and recently saw the graduation of its first undergraduate intake.

The visit was especially fitting during the FIFA World Cup given that it shares space with Sports Interactive (SI) – the SEGA subsidiary behind the globally acclaimed Football Manager series – which also collaborates with the university. Teesside University London’s flexible learning model is closely aligned with employer needs, offering programmes in areas including cyber security, fintech, gaming and public health. Together with the wider Here East innovation campus, it forms part of a thriving ecosystem of universities, startups and technology businesses, particularly in cyber and gaming.

We look forward to strengthening links with Japanese local governments and educational institutions through future cooperation in skills development, digital innovation and industry engagement.