Warm welcome for Japanese delegation

Beverley Town Council welcomed a special delegation from Japan last month.

The guests hailed from Futaba-machi and included the mayor, Shiro Izawa, the chairman of the town congress, Tetsuo Itoh, vice chairman of Fukushima Prefectural Association, Kaoru Furukawa, and other official, civic and journalistic representatives from the town.

They were greeted by the Mayor of Beverley, Cllr Linda Johnson, macebearer Mr Peter Nendick, and officers from Beverley Town Council.

The links between Futaba-machi and Beverley began when two UK nationals started working in the town via the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme, Anthony Ballard, from Hull, and Philip Jellyman, from Beverley.

Both teachers became popular members of the Futaba-machi community and stayed to work in the area following the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011.

“The whole world remembers the dreadful events of March 2011, when Japan was hit by a massive earthquake, which led to a tsunami and the nuclear disaster at Fukushima,” said Councillor Johnson.

“Due to its proximity to the power station, Futaba-machi was completely evacuated and as Mr Izawa explained, only around 60 residents have so far been able to move back out of what was a population of circa 11,000.

“Anthony and Philip were evacuated with the rest of the town, but were determined to stay to help rebuild the community that has been so welcoming to them.

‘‘This visit to England gave representatives from Futaba-machi chance to meet the families of both men, see their home towns and visit the wider UK to help build links.

“It was an honour to meet Anthony and Philip, who have done so much for the people of Futaba-machi and are wonderful ambassadors for Beverley and Hull.

“It was also a delight to meet Mr Izawa and the rest of his party, who thoroughly enjoyed their time with us.”

As part of the visit to Beverley, the delegation enjoyed a traditional pint in The Monks Walk.

A video presentation was played, which showed greetings from Futaba-machi, civic speeches were made and gifts were exchanged.

So impressed was Mr Izawa with the hospitality shown, he joked that he had finished his speech early so he could enjoy another pint.

It is hoped that more official links will be established between Beverley and Futaba-machi, creating stronger bonds between the people of the UK and Japan.