The 27th Annual Meeting of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group was held in Tokyo and Karuizawa from 21-24 October 2010. The meeting was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Lord Cunningham (UK Co-Chairman) emphasised to the Prime Minister the strong support of all three main UK political parties for close relations with Japan. The UK side comprised three current MPs to help strengthen bilateral parliamentary relations.
In a press release, the UK-Japan 21st Century Group "Warmly welcomed the recent steps taken by the Japanese government to reverse the decline in the number of British graduates going to Japan under the JET programme scheme. They hoped that the numbers would continue to grow and they stressed the valuable contribution that the JET scheme was making to the bilateral relationship."
The programme had also been mentioned by Foreign Secretary, William Hague during a speech in Tokyo on 15th July, explaining the new Government's approach to Foreign Policy. He highlighted the programme as an important link, with "hundreds of young Britons getting their first experiences of living and working overseas by teaching here in Japan through the JET Programme"
