Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction & Chapter Summaries
- Chapter Summaries
- List of Contributors
- Abbreviations/ Names and Name Order
- 1 British Relations with Japan, 1852–2017: An Overview
- 2 Lord John Russell, 1792–1878 [lst Earl Russell] Foreign Secretary, 1852–53, 1859–69
- 3 Lord Clarendon, 1800–1870 [George William Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon] Foreign Secretary, 1853–58, 1865–66, 1868–70
- 4 Lord Granville, 1815–1891 [George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville] Foreign Secretary, 1870–74, 1880–85
- 5 Lord Derby, 1826–1893 [Lord Stanley & 15th Earl of Derby] Foreign Secretary as Lord Stanley, 1866–68; as Lord Derby 1874–78
- 6 Lord Salisbury, 1830–1903 [3rd Marquess of Salisbury] Foreign Secretary, 1878–80, 1885–86, 1887–92, 1895–1900. Prime Minister, 1885–86, 1886–92, 1895–1902
- 7 Lord Rosebery, 1847–1929 [5th Earl of Rosebery] Foreign Secretary, 1886, 1892–94 Prime Minister, 1894–95
- 8 Lord Kimberley, 1826–1902 [John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley] Foreign Secretary, 1894–95
- 9 Lord Lansdowne, 1845–1927 [Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne] Foreign Secretary, 1900–05
- 10 Sir Francis Bertie, 1844–1919 Key official in framing the Anglo-Japanese Alliance
- 11 Sir Edward Grey, 1862–1933 [Viscount Grey of Falloden] Foreign Secretary, 1905–16
- 12 Arthur James Balfour, 1848–1930 [lst Earl of Balfour] Foreign Secretary, 1916–19 Prime Minister, 1902–05
- 13 Lord Curzon, 1859–1925 [George Nathaniel, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston] Foreign Secretary, 1919–24
- 14 James Ramsay MacDonald, 1866–1937 Foreign Secretary, 1924 Prime Minister, 1929–31
- 15 Austen Chamberlain, 1863–1937 Foreign Secretary, 1924–29 Neville Chamberlain, 1869–1940 Prime Minister, 1937–40
- 16 Sir John Simon, 1873–1954 [lst Viscount Simon] Foreign Secretary, 1931–35
- 17 Lord Lytton, 1876–1947 [Victor Alexander George Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton], A key role in advancing Anglo-Japanese Relations in the 1930s
- 18 Sir Samuel Hoare, 1880–1959 [Samuel Gurney, 1st Viscount Templewood] Foreign Secretary, June-December 1935
- 19 Sir Anthony Eden, 1897–1977 [lst Earl of Avon] Foreign Secretary 1935–38, 1940–45, 1951–55
- 20 Lord Halifax, 1881–1959 [Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax] Foreign Secretary, 1938–40
- 21 Lord Hankey, 1877–1963 and R.A. Butler, 1902–1982 and the ‘Appeasement of Japan, 1939–1941 Foreign Secretary (Butler), 1963–64
- 22 Ernest Bevin, 1881–1951 Foreign Secretary, 1945–51
- 23 Winston Churchill, 1874–1965 Prime Minister, 1940–45, 1951–55
- 24 Britain and Japan, 1950–1990: A British Perspective
- 25 Sir Alec Douglas-Home, 1903–1995 [14th Earl of Home] Foreign Secretary, 1960–63, 1970–74 Prime Minister, 1963–64
- 26 Edward Heath, 1916–2005 Prime Minister, 1970–74
- 27 Margaret Thatcher, 1925–2013 [Baroness Thatcher] Prime Minister, 1979–90
- 28 Sir Geoffrey Howe, 1926–2015 [Lord Howe of Aberavon] Foreign Secretary, 1983–89
- Bibliography
- Index
26 - Edward Heath, 1916–2005 Prime Minister, 1970–74
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 April 2022
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction & Chapter Summaries
- Chapter Summaries
- List of Contributors
- Abbreviations/ Names and Name Order
- 1 British Relations with Japan, 1852–2017: An Overview
- 2 Lord John Russell, 1792–1878 [lst Earl Russell] Foreign Secretary, 1852–53, 1859–69
- 3 Lord Clarendon, 1800–1870 [George William Villiers, 4th Earl of Clarendon] Foreign Secretary, 1853–58, 1865–66, 1868–70
- 4 Lord Granville, 1815–1891 [George Leveson Gower, 2nd Earl Granville] Foreign Secretary, 1870–74, 1880–85
- 5 Lord Derby, 1826–1893 [Lord Stanley & 15th Earl of Derby] Foreign Secretary as Lord Stanley, 1866–68; as Lord Derby 1874–78
- 6 Lord Salisbury, 1830–1903 [3rd Marquess of Salisbury] Foreign Secretary, 1878–80, 1885–86, 1887–92, 1895–1900. Prime Minister, 1885–86, 1886–92, 1895–1902
- 7 Lord Rosebery, 1847–1929 [5th Earl of Rosebery] Foreign Secretary, 1886, 1892–94 Prime Minister, 1894–95
- 8 Lord Kimberley, 1826–1902 [John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley] Foreign Secretary, 1894–95
- 9 Lord Lansdowne, 1845–1927 [Henry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne] Foreign Secretary, 1900–05
- 10 Sir Francis Bertie, 1844–1919 Key official in framing the Anglo-Japanese Alliance
- 11 Sir Edward Grey, 1862–1933 [Viscount Grey of Falloden] Foreign Secretary, 1905–16
- 12 Arthur James Balfour, 1848–1930 [lst Earl of Balfour] Foreign Secretary, 1916–19 Prime Minister, 1902–05
- 13 Lord Curzon, 1859–1925 [George Nathaniel, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston] Foreign Secretary, 1919–24
- 14 James Ramsay MacDonald, 1866–1937 Foreign Secretary, 1924 Prime Minister, 1929–31
- 15 Austen Chamberlain, 1863–1937 Foreign Secretary, 1924–29 Neville Chamberlain, 1869–1940 Prime Minister, 1937–40
- 16 Sir John Simon, 1873–1954 [lst Viscount Simon] Foreign Secretary, 1931–35
- 17 Lord Lytton, 1876–1947 [Victor Alexander George Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton], A key role in advancing Anglo-Japanese Relations in the 1930s
- 18 Sir Samuel Hoare, 1880–1959 [Samuel Gurney, 1st Viscount Templewood] Foreign Secretary, June-December 1935
- 19 Sir Anthony Eden, 1897–1977 [lst Earl of Avon] Foreign Secretary 1935–38, 1940–45, 1951–55
- 20 Lord Halifax, 1881–1959 [Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax] Foreign Secretary, 1938–40
- 21 Lord Hankey, 1877–1963 and R.A. Butler, 1902–1982 and the ‘Appeasement of Japan, 1939–1941 Foreign Secretary (Butler), 1963–64
- 22 Ernest Bevin, 1881–1951 Foreign Secretary, 1945–51
- 23 Winston Churchill, 1874–1965 Prime Minister, 1940–45, 1951–55
- 24 Britain and Japan, 1950–1990: A British Perspective
- 25 Sir Alec Douglas-Home, 1903–1995 [14th Earl of Home] Foreign Secretary, 1960–63, 1970–74 Prime Minister, 1963–64
- 26 Edward Heath, 1916–2005 Prime Minister, 1970–74
- 27 Margaret Thatcher, 1925–2013 [Baroness Thatcher] Prime Minister, 1979–90
- 28 Sir Geoffrey Howe, 1926–2015 [Lord Howe of Aberavon] Foreign Secretary, 1983–89
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
INTRODUCTION
Edward Heath (1916–2005), 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 primarily as a member of the advisory council of the Praemium Imperiale Awards. 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 1971 and had had 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 autobiography 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 interest in Japan. It had been agreed in principle that the two Foreign Ministers should meet annually but more often than not these meetings had been postponed.
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- British Foreign Secretaries and Japan 1850-1990Aspects of the Evolution of British Foreign Policy, pp. 265 - 273Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2018