British King Charles III awards an Honorary OBE to Yoshiko Mori, Chairperson Emerita of the Mori Art Museum, recognising her leadership in UK-Japan arts and education collaboration.
British Ambassador Julia Longbottom CMG conducted the ceremony to appoint Mori Yoshiko, who is also Chairperson Emerita of the Mori Art Museum, an Honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) at the British Embassy Tokyo on Nov. 6.
Created in 1917 by King George V, the OBE is awarded by the British monarch in recognition of service in areas such as the arts, culture, science and welfare. Non-British citizens qualify for an Honorary OBE.
A British Embassy Tokyo statement said, “As former Chairperson of the Mori Art Museum and a member of the Board of Directors of the Mori Building Company, Mrs. Mori has positioned the arts and culture at the heart of one of Japan’s largest and most transformational real estate developers. The award of Honorary OBE is in recognition of her contribution to UK-Japan culture and education. Under her stewardship the Mori Art Museum has championed and supported a wide range of UK artists, and has helped to showcase the strength and diversity of British art to millions of people in Japan. Beyond the Mori Art Museum, Mrs Mori served for many years in a voluntary role as a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts, an independent charity that promotes art and artists.
The embassy described Ms Mori as a champion of international education with a vision for placing education at the heart of cutting-edge urban development, contributing to the establishment of the new British School Tokyo campus at Azabudai Hills, “which showcases cutting-edge British design and leadership in educational innovation.”
Ms Mori said, “Allow me to express what a great honor it is to be selected for this distinguished award. My involvement in cultural exchange between Britain and Japan for many years has included as Chairperson of the Mori Art Museum, and as a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Arts. Getting to know so many Britons with a passion for the arts has been a joy and a huge part of what makes it all worthwhile. I confess I have been surprised to see so much stunning, cutting-edge contemporary art emerging from a nation that so values history and tradition and profoundly impressed by the sheer depth and diversity of a place that can produce such work. Looking back now, it strikes me that art truly is borderless. Faced with the looming prospect of an irreparably divided world, I believe art and culture can help connect us and offer hope. I will continue to contribute in whatever way I can to Anglo-Japanese cultural exchange, while also working to bring together all those across the globe who love art.
The Mori Art Museum said it had welcomed British curator and writer David Elliot as its first director in 2003. “The Mori Art Museum International Advisory Committee, established in 1999 for the purpose of building a global network of art museums, and made up of directors of some of the world’s leading museums, including in Britain the Tate and Tate Modern, provides a forum for discussing various issues including the place of contemporary art museums in reflecting the zeitgeist and also potential partnerships between museums. The Mori Art Museum has staged several exhibitions with strong British connections, including History in the Making: A Retrospective of the Turner Prize (2008); Medicine and Art: Imagining a Future for Life and Love (in conjunction with the Wellcome Trust, 2009–10); Foster and Partners: Architecture, Urbanism, Innovation (2016), and Heatherwick Studio: Building Soulfulness (2023). The Museum has also collaborated with British artists, architects and curators in a variety of other exhibitions and learning programs, and from late April 2026 will stage a major show devoted to the work of UK- based artist Ron Mueck.”
The late Mori Minoru, founder of the Mori Art Museum and former Chairman and CEO of Mori Building Co., Ltd., was honored in 2009 with the title of Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to UK-Japan cultural relations.
As a contemporary art museum with a global outlook, the Mori Art Museum says it is “committed to presenting cutting-edge visual arts, architecture, design and other modes of creative practice from around the world, from a unique viewpoint informed by its ongoing dedication to the “contemporary” and “international.” The Museum also aims to help build an enriched, more vibrant and well-rounded society where art relates to all aspects of life, in accordance with its guiding principle of “Art + Life.”
Mori Building is an innovative urban developer based in Tokyo. The company is committed to maximizing the magnetic power of cities by creating and nurturing safe, sustainable and cosmopolitan urban centers based on its unique Vertical Garden City concept of high-rise centers for business, education, leisure and residence. The concept is applied in the company’s many leading-edge projects, including ARK Hills, Roppongi Hills, Toranomon Hills and Azabudai Hills in Tokyo and the Shanghai World Financial Center. Mori Building is also engaged in real estate leasing, project management and consultation.
