Thomas Blake Glover Reception
Scottish Parliament
6th June 2006
Thomas Blake Glover was born in Fraserburgh in 1838, and arrived in Nagasaki in 1859 where he quickly established himself in the ship-owning and ship-dealing trade. Unarguably, Glover can be described as a visionary. Although his personal and financial circumstances reached many peaks and troughs ? at one stage he was even massively in debt ? he doggedly persisted in breaking new ground where many others would have faltered.
He quickly became the most active merchant in Nagasaki and was an important catalyst in the industrialisation of Japan. By commissioning Aberdeen shipyards to build ships for Japan and developing the Takashima coalmine using Scottish machinery and skills, he helped power the expanding Japanese transport infrastructure. He also brought the first locomotive to Japan, set up the first telephone line from his office to Takashima, built the first slip dock for ship repair, and established the Japanese Beer Company ? makers of the hugely popular Kirin beer.
Glover was also involved in Japan’s Civil War as an arms trader. He helped arm the rebel clans fighting against the Shogunate and smuggled out young men to be educated in Britain. Many of these young men were later to play vital roles in the Meiji Restoration and included Hirobumi Ito, Japan’s first Prime Minister.
If that wasn’t enough, Glover was also a pivotal figure in the rapidly expanding Mitsubishi empire and acted as an adviser to the founder, Yataro Iwasaki.
Such is his impact on Japanese modernisation and the Japanese psyche as a whole, that his long list of achievements are included in history textbooks and his house in Nagasaki attracts 2 million visitors a year. It has also been recently announced that Aberdeen City Council will support the Glover House in Aberdeen through a funding grant of ￡50,000, which will allow the house to stay open full-time. I am confident that this will encourage more visitors to come and do much to deepen the existing friendship between Scotland and Japan.
I think you will agree that Thomas Blake Glover is a striking example of the many Scots who made their mark in Japan with his energy, skill and willingness to take risks. His legacy of international co-operation and understanding between Scotland and Japan, paved the way for others to make their mark in both the industrial and constitutional development of modern Japan, and I believe that this is his greatest accomplishment. This contribution, while not visible, is actually the most invaluable, and that is why the Japanese people appreciate and credit Glover in the development of their country.
Interestingly, there is currently a trend in Japan for a re-examination of the role of Glover in the Meiji Restoration as the Godfather of the Restoration. Glover not only championed the rebels’ cause to the British Government and ultimately helped to change its stance from pro-Shogunate to pro-rebel, but he was so eager to support the rebels that he set up a secret room under the roof of the Glover House where the rebels were thought to be concealed and many secret discussions were held. So secret was this room that it was not discovered until 1987.
A recent television programme also concluded that Glover was a true engineer of the Restoration and that many people are still unaware of the extent of his role in completely changing Japan. Hopefully, a new Japanese film, being shot jointly with the British Embassy, will soon address this. The film focuses on the 5 youths who were smuggled to Britain with Glover’s support and his involvement in the Meiji Restoration.
I find it very encouraging that the life of Glover still continues to stimulate discussion and study, and it is particularly good timing that we are gathered here this evening to celebrate his birthday.
By remembering and celebrating his achievements, we can promote international exchange between our two countries. It is time for both Scottish and Japanese to explore and appreciate the positive contribution made by Glover in the facilitation of closer cultural and economic links.
Glover believed in the potential of Japan to become a modern and democratic county like Scotland. He loved its people and its culture. Without him, I would assert that the Meiji Restoration, and therefore the modernisation of Japan would have been delayed for years, if not decades.
I would encourage you to take inspiration from this man, a man who faced grave danger in his quest to bring Scotland and Japan closer together. It is my great wish that the outstanding achievements of Thomas Blake Glover will be celebrated every year and that he gains his rightful position as one of Scotland’s most famous son’s.