His Majesty The King honours Mr Katsusada Hirose, former Governor of Oita Prefecture
His Majesty King Charles III has approved the award of Honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) to Mr Hirose in recognition of his exceptional contribution to furthering UK-Japan relations.
Mr Katsusada Hirose has had a long and distinguished career as a public servant, including as former Vice-Minister at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and as Governor of Oita Prefecture in Kyushu Japan from 2003 to 2023. During his time as Governor, Mr Hirose was instrumental in building deep and lasting links between Oita Prefecture and the United Kingdom, and with Wales in particular. His vision for closer collaboration between Wales and Oita began with the warm hospitality shown to the Welsh rugby team and fans when Oita hosted two of the Wales matches during the Rugby World Cup 2019; and it culminated in the signing in 2022 of a Memorandum of Understanding between Oita Prefecture and Wales. Focused on developing people-to-people links, through Arts and Culture, Sport, Academia, Tourism and Food and Drink, the MOU has laid the foundation of a relationship that continues to grow from strength to strength.
The British Embassy in Tokyo and Consulate General in Osaka look forward to building on Mr Hirose’s legacy over the coming years. We are committed to working with our partners in Oita to strengthen existing links and create new opportunities for collaboration in areas such as decarbonisation and innovation. We look forward to continuing to grow our economic, cultural and social links for the benefit of the people of both nations.