Japanese state visit will skip Downing Street

The Japanese state visit to the UK next week will not include the traditional trip to No 10 Downing Street to meet the prime minister.

The state visit, by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, is being adapted because it coincides with the general-election campaign.

But the prime minister and the leader of the opposition are currently expected to attend the formal banquet at Buckingham Palace.

That's despite Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer being in a head-to-head TV debate the following evening.

There was criticism of Mr Sunak after his early return from D-Day commemorations.

At state banquets the prime minister sits at the top table, with the King and overseas guests, while the leader of the opposition is a little further down the seating plan.

So amid all the fine dining and elaborate dinner service, Mr Sunak and Mr Starmer, in the middle of their political battle, will be sitting a few places away from each other.

There had been speculation the entire visit would be postponed, as previous state visits that clashed with elections have been.

But the royal couple will arrive in the UK at the weekend, with some private visits before official events begin, on Tuesday, with a ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards Parade.

There will be a carriage ride along the Mall to Buckingham Palace, a visit to Westminster Abbey and then the state banquet in the evening, where, in the past, the King has greeted his guests in their own language.

The visit will emphasise the economic, military, cultural and scientific links between the UK and Japan, with visits to the Francis Crick Institute and Kew Gardens.

But there will be no meeting at 10 Downing Street, unlike on the previous Japanese state visit, in 1998.

Another state visit had been planned for 2020 but cancelled because of the pandemic.

Such state visits are a mix of pageantry and diplomacy, putting out the red carpet for important visitors and building links.

UK exports to Japan are worth £5bn per year, according to the Japanese embassy. And there are defence partnerships.

The visit will also show the "soft power" of higher-education connections, with a day in Oxford, where both the emperor and empress went to university.

The empress has spoken of her stress-related problems in the past, described as an "adjustment disorder", which occasionally caused her to withdraw from public life.

And there have been suggestions her high-profile experience might help people in Japan who felt unable to discuss mental-health problems.