A Japanese visitors book for the British embassy in Japan.

Includes 97 Japanese signatures, comprising a record of visitors, dignitaries and royalty to special functions and in attendance at the British Embassy, including a special luncheon on 12th May 1937 on the occasion of the coronation of George Vl, at which the Emperor Hirohito’s brother and wife, Prince and Princess Takamatsu attended

Anglo-Japanese relations were of a long standing and cordial nature prior to the 1930s, as shown by the many Japanese signatories of this visitors book. The close relationship eventually foundered over the Japanese blockade of British settlements in Tientsin, China, from June to August 1939, prosecuted as part of the Sino-Japanese War. The move of the Japanese military against the colonial aspects of the British in south East Asia, and their perceived support of China, was one of the specific points for the Declaration of War in December 1941. It appears the Embassy closed in November 1939, opening up on a smaller basis in 1952, when of course, Japan was under American administration. The numerous names recorded in the book are a who’s who of noted Tokyo visitors, both British and European, for over 33 years, the embassy being a haven of European culture.