TNAG-1161-FCO40-1441-Visit-by-Margaret-Thatcher--UK-Prime-Minister--to-Hong-Kong--1982 — Page 153

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4. (a) was proposed by the Princess herself, who will

be out of Tokyo for most of the Prime Minister's visit.

The Embassy hope that the Prime Minister will be able to

accept this invitation in view of the consistent part

Princess Chichibu has played in encouraging Anglo-

Japanese relations. We endorse this recommendation.

On (b), the Embassy's earlier advice that this would do

something (but not much) to meet the Prime Minister's

interest in Japanese screens, is superseded by the

subsequent suggestion of (c), a call by Mr Esaki the

Japanese Special Trade Representative. In our view it

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would be valuable if the Prime Minister could receive

Mr Esaki whom she will recall having met in March; she

could use the occasion to express satisfaction at the

subsequent Japanese trade liberalisation package (which

he was largely instrumental in securing), but could

also restate the view of the united European Community

that more far-reaching measures are still required.

(d) the Embassy had put forward a case for a call by the

Chairman of Nippon Electric Company to present a voice-

activated computer, but we were not persuaded that this

would be clearly in the British interest. It seems more

appropriate for her to meet Mr Kobayashi at one of the

social events during the visit. Finally, the arguments

for (e), a call by the Chairman of Nissan are strong;

we and the Department of Industry endorse the Embassy's

recommendation that this would be a valuable opportunity

which should not be missed.

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