Brits are rallying for the Japanese Ambassador to the UK – who has won over people’s hearts with his enthusiasm for the Four Nations – to be Prime Minister after swooning over the diplomat’s adorable posts celebrating traditions across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Hiroshi Suzuki, who has been dubbed ‘the Paddington Bear of Ambassadors’ has shared snaps of him tucking into haggis, chugging Irn Bru, singing in Welsh and drinking pints on social media.
And after sharing a wrap of his first four months in the job in March, adoration for the Kyoto-born politician, 63, soared.
Commenters were in awe of Hiroshi’s excitement for his duties and his delight at British traditions – with many dubbing him a much better representative for the general public than 10 Downing Street.
‘Why is the Japanese ambassador a far better promoter of the UK than any of our snivelling politicians?’ one penned. ‘None of ours can even convincingly hold a pint like they know what to do with it.’
‘Can we make you our PM?’ another added.
A third gushed: ‘Countries will spend billions to build international relations when it turns out all you needed to do was send one man who openly respects the culture. Arigatou Gozaimasu.’
‘No mater who the government is in the future, we should all agree that he stays the ambassador,’ another found.
Hiroshi Suzuki, who has been dubbed ‘the Paddington Bear of Ambassadors’ has shared snaps of him tucking into haggis, singing in Welsh and drinking pints on social media
Hiroshi, who has more than 125,600 followers on X has truly immersed himself in the culture.
Snaps have seen him at a traditional pub, enjoying roast dinners, sporting a very dapper top hat at a Buckingham Palace garden party, and walking in bluebells.
In October, he shared an excited video of himself holding both the Japanese flag and the Union Jack eagerly titled ‘London, here I come!!’
‘Hello, I’m Hiroshi Suzuki, the next Japanese Ambassador to the UK,’ he said. ‘I am returning to London after 12 years – I’m very much looking forward to working with my friends to strengthen the UK-Japan partnership to a higher dimension.’
And in just under half a year, it seems Hiroshi already has – by throwing himself head first into all things British.
Just a few weeks into his new role, the diplomat beamed as he popped on a Japanese rugby shirt on to cheer on a game his country’s team was playing against England ‘at Twickers’.
Commenters were in awe of Hiroshi’s excitement for his duties and his delight at British traditions – with many dubbing him a much better representative for the general public than 10 Downing Street
Snaps have seen him at a traditional pub, enjoying roast dinners, sporting a very dapper top hat at a Buckingham Palace garden party, and walking in bluebells
A few weeks later, he donned a red jumper and relished in a pint, toasting viewers a ‘Happy New Year!’ It would seem the Ambassador is quite the fan of British taverns, more than once stating in posts that he (and Paddington Bear) are ‘enjoying pub’.
Hiroshi has a special fondness for the fictional British-Peruvian bear after being compared to the beloved character himself. Getting a plush teddy, the politician has shared selfies taking the stuffed animal on journeys across different landmarks, including the London Eye.
In his trademark fashion, he has also made UK officials pose with toys, including Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Gareth Thomas and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
While Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle did not picture with a bear, he gifted Hiroshi his own teddy wearing the Speaker’s robe.
His wife, Eiko, has also taken the beloved toy to Osaka in Japan to experience the opening of Expo 2025, an exhibition of global designs dedicated to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Adorned with a pin of the Japanese and English flags, Paddington was seen swapping the marmalade sandwiches for spicy noodles at Shin Osaka Station, before hopping on the bullet train.
Paddington also met the Expo mascot after visiting a famous Kimono shop in Gion – his wife said the owners were ‘overjoyed’ to welcome him.
He also tried a Bento box, an Ekiben (a lunch box) and visited a Zen garden in Kyoto and posed with a statue of Totoro, from the Studio Ghibli movie.
Just a few weeks into his new role, the diplomat beamed as he popped on a Japanese rugby shirt on to cheer on a game his country’s team was playing against England ‘at Twickers’
Hiroshi (with his wife Eiko) presenting his credentials to King Charles during a private audience at Buckingham Palace earlier this month
On January 9, Hiroshi wrote that he ‘
The Ambassador explained the inspiration came from a visit from the Welsh national team to Japan for the Rugby World Cup in 2019.
‘The Japanese local people welcomed them by singing the national anthem in Welsh,’ he said. ‘It was the First Minister who told me this story, and then I thought, “oh maybe I could sing the national anthem in Welsh as well!”‘.
His Welsh accent impressed fans and he admitted he ‘practised hard’ singing the tune four or five times a day.
Colleagues would hold the lyrics written in Japanese ‘and I practice, practice, practice and finally I could make that video’, he admitted, but ‘I just couldn’t hit the high note in the second half’.
Other highlights include enjoying fish and chips at the Sarson’s vinegar factory in Manchester, enjoying a production of Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and tucking into teacakes.
Hiroshi, who has also heavily engaged with Japanese communities and events in the UK, also has been known to incorporate his own culture in celebrations.
In constant efforts to fuse the interests of the two nations, on Burns Night Hiroshi wished good will and commented that ‘Auld Lang Syne is very popular in Japan, always sung on graduation ceremonies’.
On January 9, Hiroshi wrote that he ‘
For St David’s Day, he brandished origami daffodil flowers. Elsewhere, for St Patrick’s Day, he enjoyed some matcha – fashioned into a four leaf clover
Hiroshi, pictured with Paddington Bear, tucking into some haggis as per photos shared on social media
The ambassador appears to having a ball of a time in Scotland, as he chugged some Irn Bru on a visit
Hiroshi has a special fondness for the fictional British-Peruvian bear after being compared to the beloved character himself. Getting a plush teddy, the politician has shared selfies taking the stuffed animal on journeys across different landmarks, including the London Eye
The Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham gifted Hiroshi a teddy of a bee (the city’s symbol) after their meeting
Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle gave the Japanese ambassador his own teddy wearing the Speaker’s robe
For St David’s Day, he brandished origami daffodil flowers. Elsewhere, for St Patrick’s Day, he enjoyed some matcha – fashioned into a four leaf clover.
Hiroshi had also attended the Hanami gathering in Regent’s Park to see the cherry trees planted six years ago as part of the Sakura Cherry Tree Project.
The tree planting program from 2017 was intended to symbolise friendship between Japan and the UK, with more than 8,000 Sakura trees now planted across the UK.
He explained that ‘the Sakura Cherry Tree Project was conceived as a symbol of the never-changing friendship between Japan and the UK in the aftermath of the Brexit vote in 2016’.
The diplomat continued: ‘It was proposed by Mr Keisaku Sandy Sano, then-Chairman of the Japan Association in the UK, and launched together with Mr Takashi Tsukamoto, then-Chairman of the Japan-British Society and myself, then-Prime Minister Abe’s Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
‘The Project originally targeted planting 1,000 Sakura cherry trees, and since then has made steady progress, with around 8,000 Sakura cherry trees already planted all over the UK.
‘These trees are now blooming in numerous locations across the country. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all the people who have pursued it with great passion and endeavours.
‘I trust that these trees which have been planted as a symbol of the bonds of friendship between our two countries will be loved and well taken care of by the British people, and that such bonds will continue to spread further.’
It would seem the Ambassador is quite the fan of British taverns, more than once stating in posts that he (and Paddington Bear) are ‘enjoying pub’
Hirosihi has enjoyed British watering holes on his visit to the Churchill Arms and shared a video of him drinking a pint on New Years Day
Adorned with a pin of the Japanese and English flags, Paddington has been exploring Japan while Hiroshi and his wife have visited
Hiroshi’s wife, Eiko, has now taken the beloved toy to Osaka in Japan to experience the opening of Expo 2025
Hiroshi’s wife Eiko, and Paddington Bear, pictured enjoying the bluebells on a scenic walk together
Hiroshi visited Battersea Park to see the cherry blossoms this spring after posting about the Sakura project
In his greeting statement, Hiroshi opened up about his fondness for the UK after previously working at the British Embassy of Japan more than a decade ago.
‘When I arrived at Heathrow Airport, returning to London after 12 years, memories crossed my mind of the time when I left Heathrow for Japan at the end of 2012,’ he expressed.
‘I was Public Affairs Minister at the Embassy at that time. A general election was held in Japan in mid-December, and on the voting day I was recalled to Japan because I was designated to become Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Private Secretary. Five days later, I looked through the window over London from the plane and I vowed to myself that I would return here someday.
‘Subsequently, I served seven years and seven months as PM Abe’s Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs, two years as Senior Deputy Foreign Minister and G7/G20 Sherpa, and two years in Delhi as Ambassador of Japan to India and Bhutan. I have finally been able to return to the UK after all these years.’
Hiroshi – who has also worked in the US, Rome, Tehran and Seoul – added that his connection with the UK began with Eiko’s British friends.
‘In the late 1970s, an exchange programme was started between a university run by my wife’s relatives and Eton College, whereby Eton students would stay with my wife’s family every summer,’ he explained.
‘My wife, in turn, stayed with one of these families and was treated like a daughter by the parents, perhaps because they had four sons but no daughter of their own, and she began to spend her summers there almost every other year. After we had a daughter of our own, we also took her to stay with them, and over three generations we have shared a long family history.’
He then in the late 90s began to visit the family, adding that the father – a ‘Knight of Malta and a former member of the Irish Guards’ passed away just before he left the UK in 2012.
‘But the mother, who is over 90 years old, is still looking after the house,’ Hiroshi continued.
‘I can’t wait to visit her and spend time surrounded by the undulating meadows and the woods dotted within them. And, of course, I’m looking forward to enjoying a pint of ale in a nearby cosy local pub.’
He concluded: ‘We hope to become experts on the UK, just as he was an expert on Japan. Please tell us where we should visit and what we should see.
‘We hope to travel across the UK as much as possible. We will be posting our activities on X, so please follow us.’
