His Majesty King Charles III has approved the award of an honorary BEM (British Empire Medal) to Mr Itsushi Tachi for services to people-to-people relations between the UK and Japan.
Mr Tachi was a recipient of a Chevening scholarship which allowed him to complete an MSc in Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the 1980s. Three decades later, he and five other Japanese Chevening alumni decided to form a Chevening alumni association in Japan. Mr Tachi led the preparatory work, and liaison with alumni and the British Embassy, becoming the founding President of the Japan Chevening Alumni Network (JCAN).
Since its foundation in 2016, JCAN has undergone a dramatic expansion in membership, activities and profile, helping to enhance connections between the UK Government and its Chevening alumni, and creating a lasting legacy of people-to-people ties between the UK and Japan.
Footnote:
The Chevening Scholarship is an international scholarship, funded by the FCDO and partner organizations, that enables foreign students to study a Masters degree at universities in the United Kingdom.
