Sir John Whitehead, GCMG CVO - 1932-2013
Former British Ambassador to Japan dies aged 81.
Sir John Whitehead with his wife when Lady Thatcher visited Japan in 1989
The British Embassy is sad to announce that Sir John Whitehead, GCMG CVO, British Ambassador to Japan between 1986 and 1992, and a former Chairman of the Japan Society, died late last week.
Sir John Whitehead joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1955 and served four times in Japan, spending 17 years in the country where he worked tirelessly to foster UK-Japan relations.
This commitment continued beyond his retirement as Ambassador to Japan in 1992, through his work with The Japan Society, UK-Japan 21st Century Group, Sasakawa Foundation and Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.
In 2006, Sir John received the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun from the Japanese government in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the promotion of understanding between British and Japanese society.
Sir John Whitehead was 81.