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‘We Cannot Pretend That the Past Did Not Exist’: The Windsor Dynasty and Japan, 1941–1971

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The Windsor Dynasty 1910 to the Present

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Modern Monarchy ((PSMM))

This chapter looks at the role that royal relations played in the normalisation of Anglo-Japanese relations after the Second World War. British policy-makers in the Foreign Office hoped that in the post-1945 period it would be possible to renew relations between Britain and Japan through the mechanisms provided by connections between the two royal families, especially given that there was a pre-existing tradition of such ties. In contrast to Chap. 9 exploring the 1953 visit to Marshal Tito, this chapter argues that the close links of the royal family with the nation’s armed forces made it very difficult for governments to play the ‘royal card’ effectively, despite the traditional connection. However, it also considers the reasons why, in time, the Queen’s visit to Japan in 1975 did enable the turning of a new page in Anglo-Japanese relations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A new perspective on this is, however, opening up. See Matthew Glencross (2015) The State Visits of Edward VII: Reinventing Royal Diplomacy for the Twentieth Century (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

  2. 2.

    For the royal ties in these years, see Michio Yoshimura (2000) ‘Nichi-Ei kyūtei kōryu shi no ichimen: sono seijiteki seikaku to hiseijiteki seikaku’[One Face of Anglo-Japanese Imperial Court Relations: Their Political and Non-Political Character] in Yoichi Kibata, I.H. Nish, Chihiro Hosoya and Takahiko Tanaka, eds Nichi-Ei kōryu shi, vol.1, Seiji-Gaikō [The History of Anglo-Japanese Relations: Politics and Diplomacy] (Tokyo: Tokyo University Press); Naotake Kimizuka (2004) Joō heika no buru ribon: gata kunshō to igirisu gaikō [Her Majesty’s Blue Ribbon: The Order of the Garter and British Diplomacy] (Tokyo: NHK Shuppansha); Antony Best (2007) ‘A Royal Alliance: Court Diplomacy and Anglo-Japanese Relations, 1900–41’ in H. Cortazzi, ed Britain and Japan: Biographical Portraits, VI (Folkestone: Global Oriental) pp63–70.

  3. 3.

    See Best, ‘A Royal Alliance’.

  4. 4.

    Ibid.

  5. 5.

    Ibid.

  6. 6.

    Neither were lavishly reported, but did receive some media attention. See ‘Garter Mission to Japan’, The Times, 3 May 1929; 4 May 1929; ‘Court’s Return to Town’, The Times, 4 May 1930.

  7. 7.

    TNA FO372/2685 T5475/972/379, Warner to Treasury, 30 May 1930. Royal relations in the inter-war period are covered in Antony Best, “‘Our Respective Empires Should Stand Together”: The Royal Dimension in Anglo-Japanese Relations, 1919–1941’ Diplomacy and Statecraft, 2005, 16(2) 259–79.

  8. 8.

    Best, “‘Our Respective Empires”’.

  9. 9.

    Ibid.

  10. 10.

    See Antony Best (2014) ‘“A Cardinal Point of our World Strategy”: The Foreign Office and the Normalization of Relations with Japan, 1952–63’ in Effie Pedaliu and John Young, eds British Foreign Policy from Churchill to Cameron, 1945–2011 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

  11. 11.

    TNA FO371/46431 F11833/4/23, de la Mere (Far East Department), Minute, 5 December 1945.

  12. 12.

    TNA FO371/69820 F4930/44/23, Gascoigne (Tokyo) to Dening (Foreign Office), 15 March 1948 no.PA10/13/48.

  13. 13.

    TNA FO371/76257 F4637/1942/23, Gascoigne to Scarlett (Far East Department), 11 March 1949 no.PA19/38/49.

  14. 14.

    TNA FO371/84046 FJ1941/3, Gascoigne to Dening, 20 February 1950 no.PA11/13/50; FJ1941/8 Gascoigne to Dening, 31 May 1950 no.PA48/13/50.

  15. 15.

    TNA FO371/99530 FJ1941/1, de le Mare (Tokyo) to Scott, 24 December 1951 no.278/21/51.

  16. 16.

    TNA FO371/99530 FJ1941/18, Eden to Dening, 15 February 1952 no.77.

  17. 17.

    TNA FO371/FJ1051/16, Dening (Tokyo) to Eden, 24 March 1952 no.83.

  18. 18.

    TNA FO371/99533 FJ1945/1, Dening to Eden, 11 October 1952 tel.1720.

  19. 19.

    RA PS/PSO/GVI/C/130/40, Hardinge, Memorandum, 23 December 1941.

  20. 20.

    TNA FO372/7133 TD10051/2, ‘Treatment of Foreign Nationals (particularly ex-enemies) in regard to British Honours at the Queen’s Coronation’, Protocol Department Memorandum, 3 November 1952.

  21. 21.

    TNA FO372/7133 TD10051/2, Eden, Minute, undated [November 1952].

  22. 22.

    TNA FO371/105374 FJ1051/4, Eden to Dening, 30 January 1953 no.43.

  23. 23.

    TNA PREM11/468, Sansom to Yoshida, draft letter, n.d. [April 1953].

  24. 24.

    This is evident from the Foreign Office index for 1953 which lists this material under the file reference.

  25. 25.

    National Archives of Australia, Canberra (henceforth NAA) A1838 3103/11/51 PART 1, Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 28 April 1953.

  26. 26.

    ‘Change of Plan’, The Times, 1 May 1953; Churchill Archive Centre Cambridge (henceforth CAC) Hankey Papers, Cambridge, HNKY21/7, Hankey to Piggott, 13 March 1953.

  27. 27.

    Hansard, , Commons, 5th series, 516, vol.516, 9 June 1953, col.12.

  28. 28.

    For a post-facto review of the Prince’s visit, see TNA FCO21/923 FEJ26/4, Pilcher (Tokyo) to Morgan (Far East Department), 21 January 1971 no.26/3.

  29. 29.

    TNA FO371/110527 FJ1944/1, Jelpke (Department), Minute, 17 July 1954.

  30. 30.

    The Foreign Office file from 1954 on the Order of the Garter, FO372/7226, is closed for 100 years on the grounds that ‘after careful consideration, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has decided that release of this information could have an adverse effect on the UK's relations with Japan, Iran and also Islamic countries. The public interest in maintaining good relations with these countries and protecting British interests (particularly current foreign policy) outweighs the public interest in releasing a full historical record at this current time.’ See TNA to the author, 2 December 2008. However, the essence of what was decided can be seen in TNA FO371/133598 FJ1051/51, Dalton (J desk), Note, 17 November 1958.

  31. 31.

    TNA CAB130/165, Royal Visits Overseas and Visits by Foreign Heads of State Committee, 3rd meeting, 4 November 1960.

  32. 32.

    The closed file is FO371/158539. This episode is referred to in Hugo Vickers (1994) Royal Orders: The Honours and the Honoured (London: Bextree) p49.

  33. 33.

    TNA FCO21/923 FEJ26/4, Mayall (Protocol Dept) to Pilcher, 5 May 1971.

  34. 34.

    TNA FO371/165031 FJ1942/2, Caccia to Adeane, 15 February 1962.

  35. 35.

    ‘Princess Chichibu in London’, The Times, 24 July 1962.

  36. 36.

    TNA FO372/8012 TS1231/59, Mayall (Far East Department) to Rundall (Tokyo), 3 December 1965.

  37. 37.

    TNA FO262/2139, Ellingworth (Tokyo Embassy), Minute 26 June 1965.

  38. 38.

    TNA FO371/187138 FJ1941/1, Wright, Minute, 28 April 1966.

  39. 39.

    For the reciprocal visits with the Federal Republic of Germany see, Anthony Glees (2002) ‘The British-German State Visits of 1958 and 1965: From Occupation to Normalization’ in J. Noakes, P Wende and J. Wright, eds Britain and Germany in Europe 1949–1990 (Oxford: Oxford University Press), 279–305. I would like to thank Piers Ludlow for bringing this essay to my attention.

  40. 40.

    TNA CAB134/2462 RV(66)1, ‘State Visits’, FO Memorandum, 9 May 1966.

  41. 41.

    TNA CAB134/2462 RV(66), 1st Meeting, 17 May 1966.

  42. 42.

    TNA FO372/8184, Gore-Booth (PUS FO) to Adeane (BP), 20 May 1966.

  43. 43.

    TNA FO371/187138 FJ1941/5, Rundall (Tokyo) to de la Mere (Far East Department), 1 September 1966.

  44. 44.

    TNA FO371/187138 FJ1941/6, de la Mere, Minute, 14 October 1966.

  45. 45.

    TNA FO372/8184, Gore-Booth (PUS FO) to Adeane (BP), 20 May 1966; CAB165/215, Reid Minute, 17 October 1966.

  46. 46.

    TNA FO262/2512, ‘Anglo-Japanese Relations’, British Embassy, Tokyo, note, September 1967.

  47. 47.

    TNA FCO57/187 TXV1/306/1, Pilcher (Tokyo) to Stewart, 5 May 1970 tel.410.

  48. 48.

    TNA CAB165/901, Greenhill (PUS FCO) to Trend (Cab Office) 21 June 1971.

  49. 49.

    TNA FCO57/79 TP51/27, Bolland, Minute, 21 July 1967.

  50. 50.

    TNA CAB134/3189 RV(68), 1st meeting, 27 March 1968.

  51. 51.

    TNA PREM15/504, Greenhill (PUS FCO) to Adeane (BP), 20 November 1970.

  52. 52.

    TNA, FCO73/133, Greenhill Papers, Greenhill to Adeane, 10 February 1971.

  53. 53.

    TNA FCO21/924 FEJ26/4, part B, Elizabeth II’s speech first draft (not attributed) n.d. [September 1971].

  54. 54.

    TNA FCO21/925 FEJ26/4, part C, Elizabeth II’s speech second draft with amendments by the Duke of Edinburgh, n.d. [September 1971].

  55. 55.

    TNA FCO21/923 FEJ26/4, part A, Morgan (Asian Dept) to Pilcher 16 April 1971.

  56. 56.

    TNA FCO21/923 FEJ26/4, part A, Morgan to Tomlinson (Parliamentary Office), 21 May 1971.

  57. 57.

    ‘Man Hurls Coat at Emperor Hirohito’s Coach’, The Times, 6 October 1971.

  58. 58.

    The Times, 8 October 1971.

  59. 59.

    Ibid.

  60. 60.

    Derek Marks, ‘This Painful Charade’, Daily Express, 6 October 1971.

  61. 61.

    NAA A1838 3103/11/51, PART 4 Brown to DFA, 15 October 1971 no.646.

  62. 62.

    Editorial, The Spectator, 9 October 1971. See also Editorial, Guardian, 8 October 1971.

  63. 63.

    NAA A1838 3103/1/3/1, PART 2 ‘Japanese Emperor’s Visit to Europe’, PIB Memorandum 29 October 1971.

  64. 64.

    TNA FCO26/644, ‘Japanese State Visit’ Walker, Note, 19 October 1971.

  65. 65.

    TNA FCO21/925 FEJ26/4, part C, Douglas Home briefing for Cabinet, 11 October 1971.

  66. 66.

    NAA A1838 3103/11/51, PART 4, Brown (HC London) to DFA, 15 October 1971 no.646.

  67. 67.

    ‘Windscreen of Emperor Hirohito’s Car Broken’, The Times, 9 October 1971; ‘“Hirohitler” Chant in Bonn Drowned by Waterhoses’, The Times, 13 October 1975.

  68. 68.

    NAA A1838 1516/1/479, PART 1, Lewis (Australian Embassy, Tokyo) to DFA, 24 July 1972.

  69. 69.

    TNA FCO57/427 TXR22/5B, Curlemin (P & C Department), Minute, 22 November 1972.

  70. 70.

    ‘Tokyo Gives the Queen Big Welcome’, The Times, 8 May 1975.

  71. 71.

    TNA FCO21/1448, Warner to Callaghan, 12 June 1975, no.26/10.

Select Bibliography

  • Antony Best (2007) ‘A Royal Alliance: Court Diplomacy and Anglo-Japanese Relations, 1900–41’ in H. Cortazzi, ed Britain and Japan: Biographical Portraits, VI (Folkestone: Global Oriental).

    Google Scholar 

  • Antony Best (2005) “‘Our Respective Empires Should Stand Together”: The Royal Dimension in Anglo-Japanese Relations, 1919–1941’ Diplomacy and Statecraft, 16(2) 259–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antony Best (2014) ‘“A Cardinal Point of our World Strategy”: The Foreign Office and the Normalization of Relations with Japan, 1952–63’, in Effie Pedaliu and John Young, eds British Foreign Policy from Churchill to Cameron, 1945–2011 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Anthony Glees (2002) ‘The British-German State Visits of 1958 and 1965: From Occupation to Normalization’, in J. Noakes, P Wende and J. Wright, eds Britain and Germany in Europe 1949–1990 (Oxford: Oxford University Press/German Historical Institute London).

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthew Glencross (2015) The State Visits of Edward VII: Reinventing Royal Diplomacy for the Twentieth Century (Basingstone: Palgrave Macmillan).

    Google Scholar 

  • Naotake Kimizuka (2004) Joō heika no buru ribon: gata kunshō to igirisu gaikō [Her Majesty’s Blue Ribbon: The Order of the Garter and British Diplomacy] (Tokyo: NHK Shuppansha).

    Google Scholar 

  • Michio Yoshimura (2000) ‘Nichi-Ei kyūtei kōryu shi no ichimen: sono seijiteki seikaku to hiseijiteki seikaku’[One Face of Anglo-Japanese Imperial Court Relations: Their Political and Non-Political Character] in Yoichi Kibata, I.H. Nish, Chihiro Hosoya and Takahiko Tanaka, eds Nichi-Ei kōryu shi, vol.1, Seiji-Gaikō [The History of Anglo-Japanese Relations: Politics and Diplomacy] (Tokyo: Tokyo University Press).

    Google Scholar 

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International History, London School of Economics (LSE), London, UK

    Antony Best

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  1. King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

    Matthew Glencross

  2. Plymouth University, Plymouth, United Kingdom

    Judith Rowbotham

  3. King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

    Michael D. Kandiah

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Best, A. (2016). ‘We Cannot Pretend That the Past Did Not Exist’: The Windsor Dynasty and Japan, 1941–1971. In: Glencross, M., Rowbotham, J., Kandiah, M. (eds) The Windsor Dynasty 1910 to the Present. Palgrave Studies in Modern Monarchy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56455-9_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56455-9_10

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