Listen
Scotland and Japan
11/06/2009
First Minister Alex Salmond today welcomed Cyrus Glover Bennett, Great, Great, Great Grandson of Thomas Glover, back to Scotland for the Year of Homecoming.
Thomas Glover was born in Fraserburgh in 1838 and moved to Japan in 1859 where he forged a highly successful career as a merchant and came to be known as the "Scottish Samurai".
Glover was a key figure in the industrialisation of Japan, helping to found the shipbuilding company which was later to become the Mitsubishi Corporation. He also brought the first dry dock to Japan, introduced the first steam railway locomotive, and helped found the Japan Brewery Company, which later became the major Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd.
In recognition of these achievements, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun.
This is Cyrus Glover Bennett's first visit to Scotland. He is 21 years old and lives in Arizona. While in Scotland he will tour the West Coast of Scotland, visit Glover House in Aberdeenshire and attend one of the key Homecoming events - the Aberdeen Highland Games.
First Minister Alex Salmond said:
"I'm delighted to welcome Cyrus Glover Bennett to Scotland - to follow in the footsteps of his Great, Great, Great Gandfather and devlop his understanding of his family connections to Scotland. Scotland's Year of Homecoming is the perfect time to visit, as the nation celebrates its contributions to the World - including Thomas Glover.
"Scotland is renowned for having produced a long line of great minds and innovators. Thomas Glover's contribution to that proud history can not be underestimated, as the first non-Japanese to be awarded one of Japan's highest honours - the Order of the Rising Sun. As an entrepreneur and moderniser he left Scotland a legacy of affection and respect that we continue to build on today.
"I'm delighted that Cyrus has found in the Homecoming programme an event that will add to his Homecoming experience and allow him to enjoy some of the spirit of Aberdeen. The Aberdeen Highland Games promise to be a exciting celebration of the culture and heritage that Cyrus can be proud of."
The Aberdeen Highland Games will be held at Hazlehead Park in Aberdeen on June 21, 2009.