Gearoid Reidy, Columnist

Paddington, Pints and the Art of Modern Diplomacy

February 26, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTC

Gearoid Reidy is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Japan and the Koreas. He previously led the breaking news team in North Asia, and was the Tokyo deputy bureau chief.

Tokyo’s ambassador to the UK is winning hearts and minds via his love of all things British. — Tokyo’s ambassador to the UK is winning hearts and minds via his love of all things British.
Source: Hiroshi Suzuki/X

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This is the face of diplomacy in 2026: A 64-year-old Japanese man with a Paddington bear plushie downing a pint and exclaiming, “That’s boss, that!”

Hiroshi Suzuki, Tokyo’s ambassador to the UK, is winning hearts and minds online, not through promotion of sushi, sumo or the other staples of traditional Japanese culture that envoys normally engage in, but via his love of Britain. On social media, he samples real ales and other local delights, with his signature Peruvian bear in tow.