Mr. Teruo Asada, former Chairman, Honorary Corporate Advisor of Marubeni Corporation, was awarded an Honorary CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to UK trade and investment.

Mr. Asada was presented with a medal by the British Ambassador to Japan, H.E. Julia Longbottom, at an investiture ceremony held on November 21 at the Ambassador’s residence.

The Order of the British Empire was established in 1917 by King George V to honor people who served in a non-combative role during World War I. In modern times, the Order has been expanded to reward contributions to the arts, sciences, charitable work, and public service. Therefore, people from outside the United Kingdom may also be given an honorary award. 

In the UK, the Marubeni Group is active in a wide range of sectors, with trade and distribution businesses in the automotive, construction machinery and agri-inputs sectors, as well as investments in power projects, contributing to the creation of local employment. Furthermore, Marubeni’s investments in offshore wind power projects have been credited with spurring on the UK’s decarbonization activities.

Mr. Asada served as Chairman of the British Market Council (BMC) for six years from 2015, during which time he contributed to strengthening the partnership between the UK and Japan. In the period of uncertainty surrounding the UK’s departure from the EU (Brexit), Mr. Asada’s consistent promotion of the continued attractiveness of the UK as a business environment was highly appreciated, leading in part to the award of this honor.

The Marubeni Group will continue to expand its business in the UK and work towards the further deepening of relations between the UK and Japan.