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Edward Heath (1916–2005) and Japan:The First Visit of a British Prime Minister to Japan in 1972

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Edward Heath (1916–2005) and Japan:The First Visit of a British Prime Minister to Japan in 1972 3 Edward Heath (1916–2005) and Japan:The First Visit of a British Prime Minister to Japan in 1972 HUGH CORTAZZI Edward Heath INTRODUCTION Mr Edward Heath (1916–2005),1 who was the British Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Opposition from 1974 to 1975, had a distinguished career in politics, which he described in his autobiography The Course of My Life, published in 1998. He was an accomplished yachtsman and musician. This essay focuses on his visit to Japan in 1972 and covers briefly his later involvement with Japan pri- marily as a member of the advisory council of the Praemium Imperiale Awards.2 In 1998, he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun by the Japanese government in recognition of the contribution he had made to deepening and developing Anglo-Japanese relations. OFFICIAL VISIT TO JAPAN Preparations and background Mr Heath had been Prime Minister at the time of the state visit to London of the Japanese Emperor in the autumn of 19713 and had had 23 BRITAIN & JAPAN: BIOGRAPHICAL PORTRAITS VOLUME VI a lengthy discussion over dinner at the Guildhall with the then Japanese Foreign Minister Mr Fukuda Takeo, largely about US-Japan economic relations and Japanese exports of textiles. Mr Heath in his autobiography4 simply recorded that in September 1972 he had been the first British Prime Minister to visit Japan. In a telegram to President Nixon on 11 September 1972, he said that he had begun to think that he should go to Japan after talking with the President in Bermuda in December 1971, but he had no doubt realized before then the growing importance of Japan and the need for Britain to pay greater attention to relations with such a significant economic power. The visit took place at a time when economic relations with Japan were strained and there was a significant imbalance in trade between the two countries. In his meeting in Tokyo on 18 September 1972 with Mr Tanaka Kakuei, the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr Heath said that he could not understand why none of his predecessors had come to Tokyo before. There had been a steady increase during the 1960s in British inter- est in Japan. It had been agreed in principle that the two Foreign Ministers should meet annually but more often than not these meet- ings had been postponed. The commercial department of the British Embassy, with the backing of the Board of Trade and the Asia Committee of the British National Exports Council, had stepped up efforts to penetrate the Japanese market. These had culminated in a major ‘British Week’in Tokyo in 1969 involving all the main Japanese department stores in Tokyo who were persuaded to put on promo- tions of British consumer goods. There had also been an exhibition of British scientific and medical equipment in the Science Museum. But it was recognized that much more needed to be done to promote British exports to Japan. In 1972, there were major monetary issues which involved Japan. There were fears in Japan that the European Economic Community, to which Britain would accede from 1 January 1973, might become too inward-looking. President Nixon in the United States faced major trade and monetary problems. Japan was looking to develop its relations with the People’s Republic of China. There was much to discuss and a prime ministerial visit was overdue. A great deal of effort was put into preparing the briefs which included voluminous submissions on trade and financial issues. The steering brief was the subject of many redrafts. The purpose of the visit was described as being ‘To make clear in public the importance which the government attaches to the consolidation of close and friendly relations between the United Kingdom and Japan in the political, economic, monetary and consumer fields.’ The confidential aims were: 24.
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