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

27 May 2025 11:04 AM

Boost for UK businesses and growth as new Musubi Initiative strengthens UK-Japan connections.

• Innovative public-private partnership to encourage investment and grow the next generation of UK and Japanese leaders, while creating new opportunities for sports programmes, youth scholarships and cultural exchanges
• Backed by major partners including UCL, Liverpool FC International Academy, SSE Pacifico and Hello Kitty presented by Sanrio

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 recently.

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 recently 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. 

Recently (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 recently 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 recently 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’.

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.”
• Images and b-roll from UK National Day: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCeHb4
• Musical Performances at UK National Day included:
  • The Japanese premiere of BBC Planet Earth III Live in Concert with music performed by the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, conducted by British conductor Matthew Freeman, featuring a score by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea and Sara Barone
  • The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, accompanied by Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten Taiko drummers
  • Shao Dow (England), :Panic :Over (Northern Ireland), Nina Nesbitt (Scotland), and Strawberry Guy (Wales) – all former recipients of the UK’s Music Export Growth Scheme Awards
• World Expo 2025 Osaka runs from 13 April – 13 October 2025, and is expected to attract 28 million visitors. For more information: https://www.ukatexpo2025.uk/
• The “Starring GREAT Britain” campaign launched by VisitBritain in January 2025 promotes UK tourism through iconic film and TV locations.
• The UK’s presence at Expo 2025 forms part of the UK Government’s GREAT Campaign, which promotes the UK internationally and has delivered billions in economic returns.

Notes to Editors on the Musubi Initiative:

The Musubi Friendship Ambassador – Hello Kitty presented by Sanrio. We are grateful to Sanrio for providing Hello Kitty as the Friendship Ambassador for the Musubi Initiative. Sanrio’s vision of “One World, Connecting Smiles” aligns with Musubi’s objective to build positive people-to-people relationships and we look forward to working with Sanrio’s world-famous characters to achieve this. Hello Kitty was born and raised in London as a schoolgirl and now an iconic Japanese character, she is not only a great representative for our two countries, but she also represents the deep desire among our people to feel joy and happiness. We look forward to working with her to reinforce connections between people of the UK and Japan.  

We are grateful to the Japanese firm Dentsu PR Consulting Inc. for joining the Musubi Initiative as a Pioneer Partner providing PR advisory services. We welcome their support as we work to showcase the best of Musubi – and UK-Japan – connections.

Full details of the initial programmes to be supported through the Musubi Initiative include: 

Educational programmes: 

• Musubi UCL scholarship: The Musubi scholarship with University College London, supported by Amano Enzyme Inc., gives Japanese students the opportunity to study a one-year Masters programme at UCL. The scholarship will form part of UCL’s Global Scholarships targeting students from various background with the aim of increasing diversity. 
• SSE Pacifico Offshore Wind Scholarship Programme supported by Musubi: With a focus on fostering future talent in the dynamic offshore wind sector, SSE Pacifico, in collaboration with Musubi, will launch a scholarship programme to support young students from Japan. This initiative will offer short-term study opportunities in the UK, with the goal of upskilling and empowering the next generation of young leaders. 
• Musubi Robert Walters career development programme: Robert Walters Japan, a Specialist Recruitment & Talent Advisory firm with roots in the UK and 25 years of expertise in Japan, will deliver a tailored career development programme for the 2025-26 recipients of the UK Government’s Chevening scholarship, with a view to extending this to future Musubi scholars. 

Sports programmes: 

• Liverpool Football Club International Academy sports programme supported by Musubi: With a commitment to empowering disadvantaged young people, 2025 Premier League winners Liverpool Football Club offer their LFC International Academy Japan soccer programme in connection to the Musubi initiative. Drawing on the power of sport to build connections and confidence, this will focus on developing young players and providing opportunities to learn new skills and build leadership qualities.
• UK Ekiden: Musubi is proud to be connected to the UK Ekiden - a team relay race inspired by Japan’s beloved running tradition. With university students leading the main event and school children joining through the Mini Ekiden programme, it brings people together across generations. More than a race, it’s a celebration of teamwork, connection, and the growing friendship between the UK and Japan. Like the Musubi initiative, the UK Ekiden builds personal connections and unites different cultures. 

Leadership programmes: 

• Women’s Economic Empowerment: British Embassy Tokyo and Japan will host a joint Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum at the UK Expo Pavillion. This will focus on strengthening relationships between female exporters in Japan and the UK and is the first in-person event the UK and Japan have run under the Women’s Economic Empowerment chapter in the UK-Japan Free Trade Agreement. We hope that this event will be the first of many Musubi activities investing in female leaders of the future.    
• Musubi Alumni: Our Alumni programme will bring together the talent and potential of Alumni across our programmes.  This Network will give our Alumni the connection, inspiration and empowerment to help realise their ambitions of building a better world.