Japan was the fourth largest investor in London in 2014, with trade between Japan and London totalling nearly £950m.
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Visiting Toyota’s Japanese head office as part of a trade mission, he confirmed that Transport for London will take delivery of a few of the first Mirai vehicles in the United Kingdom, along with with private auto service Green Tomato Cars and hydrogen energy system manufacturer ITM Power.
Mr Johnson, who will also be accompanied by academics from the MedCity biosciences organisation, will seek to raise the profile of London’s expertise in the sector in a speech at BioJapan, the largest biotechnology event in Asia, during a visit to Yokohama.
Toyota has named London a “key city” for the early adoption of hydrogen vehicles, due to the infrastructure, including new refuelling stations, being built across the city. It will be a great opportunity for both nations to share knowledge and expertise.
The mayor will also turn his attention to London’s global reputation for fashion as he promotes major British export brands, such as Burberry, in a visit to leading store Hankyu during a tour of Osaka.
Boris Johnson will dip into the fashion world when he helps to launch a flagship store of one of Britain’s biggest clothing brands during a visit to Japan.
He said: “This is the third biggest economy in the world”. That’s going to change massively over the coming months, with a few predicting that the Japanese online video market will be worth almost $1bn United States dollars by 2017. “Sarah is a shining example of the dynamic, entrepreneurial spirit that’s so pervasive in London and she is an outstanding ambassador”. “We are seeing more of it now and we want to encourage that”.
Sarah Wood added: “It’s a real honour to be asked to be a technology ambassador for London”.
Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo after signing the agreement with Johnson, Masuzoe said he wants to ensure the success of the Tokyo Olympics by learning from London’s experience in 2012.
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He’s known as one of the UK’s most colourful politicians – so perhaps it was only a matter of time before Boris Johnson took his trademark eccentricity onto the world stage.
