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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

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10th April 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

British ships help in Australian-led search for MH370

Anyone who has ever boarded an aeroplane must have felt a sense of personal engagement as the sad story of Malaysian Airlines MH370 has unfolded. Our hearts go out to the families of the passengers from many nations, and particularly China which had over 150 citizens on board. In the last couple of weeks the […]

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9th April 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Britain and Ireland: a shared future

A joint blog with the Irish Ambassador to Australia, HE Noel White When the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, this week pays the first State Visit to Britain by an Irish Head of State, it will be an historic and joyous occasion, mirroring that by Her Majesty the Queen, to Ireland, in 2011. The […]

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1st April 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

New Australian High Commissioner in London

The new Australian High Commissioner in London will be moving back into his teenage home when he takes up his position in May. Alexander Downer, whose appointment was announced yesterday, lived at the splendid official residence, Stoke Lodge near Hyde Park, when his father was High Commissioner in London from 1964-72. He went to school […]

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28th March 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

New Australian Governor General

I was in Parliament this morning for the swearing-in of the new Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove, the much-decorated soldier and former Chief of the Defence Force. It was a solemn and symbolic occasion, but the speeches afterwards were warm and full of good humour. Sir Peter quoted Wellington, the famous British general turned statesman. […]

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20th March 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Behind the scenes at the museum

One of the issues that sometimes crosses my desk is the return of indigenous remains from western museums. So I went along to London’s Natural History Museum to call on Director Michael Dixon and his experts to find out more. More than half NHM’s human collection consists of British remains. They enable scientific research which […]

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12th March 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

“A new era in Australia-UK relations”

That’s how Foreign Minister Julie Bishop described this week’s Australia UK Ministerial (AUKMIN) meeting in London, between Foreign and Defence Ministers from the two countries. William Hague responded by describing a “unique relationship that makes Australia one of our most important partners.” Ms Bishop opened the London Stock Exchange on Monday morning, then together with […]

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10th March 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

From software to pork pies – the Australian market beckons

I have just spent a busy three days in the UK’s North West and East Midlands, meeting some 40 companies to promote the opportunities in the Australian market. I gave group presentations in Warrington and Leicester and made a number of visits to individual companies who are beginning to tackle the Australian market. The range […]

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25th February 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Chancellor of the Exchequer in Sydney for G20

Australia’s presidency of G20 this year means we’ll have lots of senior visitors. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney were in Sydney this weekend for the G20 Finance Ministers Meeting. It brought together ministers and central bankers responsible for 85% of the world’s economy. Mr Osborne […]

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13th February 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

The new Parliamentary year in Canberra

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop attended a reception I hosted last night to welcome new Members of Parliament to Canberra, at the start of the Parliamentary year following the long Christmas/Summer break. With huge British investments here (we’re the second largest foreign investor), 1.1 million Brits living in Australia, 600,000 visiting each year and a million […]

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6th February 2014

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Australia is BBC Worldwide’s third largest market

I begin every day by checking the BBC News website – before I’ve even got out of bed – to see what has been happening overnight. Later I catch the BBC World Service, which local broadcaster ABC carries on FM radio at certain times of day. And if you switch on the TV here there’s […]

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About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.