Crowds of people cheered on the Japanese ambassador to Britain after he downed a pint of bitter on a visit to Greater Manchester.
Hiroshi Suzuki attended a ceremony to mark the signing of a sister city agreement between Manchester and Japan’s third-largest city, Osaka.
He was presented with a pint of Boddingtons beer by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham to mark the first pint of Boddingtons to be commercially available in the city in 13 years.
After downing the pint, he said “By ‘eck, it’s gorgeous,” repeating a slogan featured in a 1990s advert for the cask ale originally brewed in Manchester.
Mr Suzuki, who was appointed to the role in 2024, also tried an Eccles cake during his visit to the city.
He gave a thumbs up and wrote “Eccles cakes are the best” in another image from the visit posted on X.
Since being appointed Japanese ambassador to the UK in 2024, Mr Suzuki has become known for embracing life in the UK in his social media posts.
In January, Mr Suzuki shared a video of himself singing the Welsh national anthem Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau while holding Welsh and Japanese flags and a red dragon.
‘Manchester of the East’
The mayor of Osaka, Hideyuki Yokoyama, signed the sister city agreement in a ceremony at Manchester Metropolitan University on Friday.
Burnham said the partnership was “another significant moment” in the relationship between the region and the Japanese city.
He said those connections stretch back to the industrial revolution when Japanese students came to Greater Manchester to learn about the machinery and technology being used in our factories.
“They returned to Japan with knowledge and ideas that helped Japan industrialise, with Osaka emerging as the ‘Manchester of the East’,” Burnham said.
The agreement is aimed at supporting investment, job creation and innovation between Greater Manchester and Osaka.
Mr Suzuki said the “fantastic partnership will drive forward growth and prosperity into the future”.
