Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-20 | call for events for endorsement

The Embassy of Japan in the United Kingdom is seeking proposals for a wide range of events celebrating the Japan Season of Culture in the UK between 2019 and 2020, bridging the Rugby World Cup 2019 and Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. Organisers of events will be entitled to use the wording “Official event of Japan Season of Culture in the UK” for all publicity materials. No funding is available for events which must be fully self-financed by the organisers.

The terms for the granting of official recognition are as follows:

1. Eligibility

(1) Eligible events will run throughout 2019 and 2020. 
(2) We particularly welcome events related to the four highlighted themes of Disability Sports, Future Generations, Designing a Society for the Future (e.g. cutting-edge technologies which may help in solving global issues), and Washoku and Japanese Sake. Events shall be aimed at advancing mutual understanding between Japanese and British people, particularly the next generation. 

For instance, they might be:

• cultural events
• grassroots educational programmes
• people-to-people exchange initiatives
• intellectual exchange activities
• events promoting corporate social responsibility

(3) The cost of staging the events must be fully covered by the organisers/applicants.

The “Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-20” bridges the Rugby World Cup 2019 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Japan will organise the Japan Season of Culture in the UK, and the UK will oversee the UK Season of Culture in Japan in parallel. This was agreed between the Prime Ministers of Japan and the UK in August 2017.

The Japan Season of Culture in the UK will showcase Japan’s multi-faceted appeal, from its culture and art to innovation and cutting-edge technology in areas such as medicine, science and industry. By building on various areas of grassroots exchange and local community activities that already exist, we hope to use the momentum of the Japan Season of Culture to create a legacy that will endure in its aftermath.

Organisers who register with the Embassy of Japan for the events will be allowed to use the title “Official event of the Japan Season of Culture in the UK” and the official logo for all publicity materials (paper-based such as posters and pamphlets as well as websites etc) to promote the various activities of the “Japan Season of Culture in the UK”. We will publish an outline of the event in the Official Event List of the Japan Season of Culture in the UK on this website.

PLEASE NOTE: there is no deadline for applications published on the website - the date given is purely indicative.