Our relationship with Japan began just over four hundred years ago in 1613 when King James of Scotland and England sent John Saris, the first British envoy, to Japan, bearing the gift of a telescope and a request for trading relations between Britain and Japan to start. Scotland has continued this tradition, especially in Aberdeen and the Northeast through historical roots where Thomas Blake Glover, born in Fraserburgh in 1838 to a local coastguard, dubbed the ‘Scottish Samurai' was instrumental in the development of Japan as an industrial nation in the late 1800s. In recognition of the past, present and future connections between Japan and Aberdeen, our vision as Japan Day Aberdeen Organisation is to "inspire communities across the Northeast of Scotland and further afield to develop an appreciation and understanding of Japanese culture, heritage and the historical relationship between Scotland and Japan."Our Mission: • Promote and raise awareness through hosting an annual festival event in the City of Aberdeen • Build stronger connections within the Japanese local community in the Northeast of Scotland • Support the wider strategic objectives of the Aberdeen-Japan Engagement StrategyOur Values: RespectIntegrityHarmonyService beyond selfFlexibility