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	<title>Paul Madden &#8211; Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office Blogs</title>
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	<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk</link>
	<description>A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy</description>
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	<title>Paul Madden &#8211; Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office Blogs</title>
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		<title>Farewell to the Foreign Office</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2021/02/22/farewell-to-the-foreign-office/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2021 05:25:40 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=47140</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I retire at the end of February, after 32 years in the Foreign Office, and 40 years in public service in total. Just another civil servant moving on from a job. But to me it feels a poignant moment. When I left university in 1980 I wasn’t seeking fame or fortune, which was perhaps just [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>Farewell to Japan</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2021/02/22/farewell-to-japan/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2021 05:24:58 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=47136</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I leave Japan at the end of February on completion of my term as Ambassador. It was also my first posting as a young diplomat, so it’s rather an appropriate place to be ending my career in. I have been fascinated by Japan since 1983, when I visited on a study tour, after winning an [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>Sankyu (thank you) Japan: a farewell twitter campaign</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2021/02/22/sankyu-thank-you-japan-a-farewell-twitter-campaign/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Feb 2021 05:07:10 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=47131</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[As I prepared to leave Japan at the end of February, on completion of my assignment, I have been reflecting on my four years as Ambassador here, as well as the four years I spent here earlier in my career. I’ve been flicking through my photos. I decided to do 39 tweets highlighting things I [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>Two Plus Two makes for a good discussion with Japan</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2021/02/03/two-plus-two-makes-for-a-good-discussion-with-japan/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Feb 2021 09:28:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=47041</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The last time British and Japanese Foreign and Defence ministers met in the &#8220;2+2&#8221; format with their Japanese counterparts, it was in the splendid setting of the former Royal Naval College at Greenwich. This time, under COVID, it will take place virtually, from electronic conference suites in Whitehall and the Japanese equivalent, Kasumigaseki. But the [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>Okinawa – Japan’s sub-tropical island chain</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2020/12/04/okinawa-japans-sub-tropical-island-chain/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2020 09:20:08 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=46732</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The Japanese archipelago stretches around 2,000 miles from north to south. The Ryukyu chain in the far southwest, which includes the Okinawa group of islands, is almost tropical. It used to be a separate kingdom, a key part of the trading routes with East and South East Asia. Many ancient fortified palaces from that period remain.  But [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>Remembrance Day in Japan</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2020/11/11/remembrance-day-in-japan/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2020 10:08:26 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=46564</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[On Sunday I took part in the annual Remembrance Day commemorations at the Commonwealth War Cemetry in Hodagaya, Yokohama. I was conscious that many similar ceremonies in the UK had had to be scaled down this year because of COVID restrictions. So it was good to see that, in Japan at least, a large number [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>Former British Consulate in Yokohama</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2020/09/29/former-british-consulate-in-yokohama/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2020 07:00:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=46364</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The former British Consulate in Yokohama is a handsome stone building, reconstructed after the Great Tokyo Earthquake of 1923, just like the Embassy in Tokyo. Its location, amidst the downtown shops and offices of Japan’s second largest city, was once the bustling waterfront where East met West. Yokohama was one of several Treaty Ports, where [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>William Adams: the first Briton in Japan</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2020/08/17/william-adams-the-first-briton-in-japan/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2020 08:17:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=46149</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[If you have ever seen the 1980s TV mini-series “Shogun” you will be familiar with the story of William Adams, the “first Englishman in Japan”. It’s a fascinating tale. Shipwrecked in Japan in 1600, ship’s pilot Adams quickly won the confidence of the warlord Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, advising him on many aspects of international affairs, shipbuilding and navigation.   He was to stay [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>Japan welcomes the Rugby World Cup</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2019/10/04/japan-welcomes-the-rugby-world-cup/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2019 03:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=44891</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Well, the Rugby World Cup is underway at last. With four teams to support: England, Scotland, Wales and – together with the Irish Embassy – the all of Ireland team; and 50,000 British fans here, it’s a really busy time for the whole embassy. And following Japan’s historic victory over Ireland, the whole country is [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
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		<title>Japan in Northern Ireland</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2019/08/02/japan-in-northern-ireland/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/paulmadden/2019/08/02/japan-in-northern-ireland/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Paul Madden]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Aug 2019 08:03:31 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorised]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=44517</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Many Japanese don’t know much about Northern Ireland, although the recent media reporting on the “Irish backstop” issue has made them more aware that the island of Ireland is divided into Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the Republic of Ireland. Japan will shortly be welcoming teams from all the constituent elements [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		
		
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