An Aberdeen karate legend is preparing to travel to Japan this month to strengthen business and cultural links between the north-east and the far east.
Ronnie Watt, OBE, has taught generations of Scottish students the intricacies of the martial art, and has received an Order of the Rising Sun medal from the Emperor of Japan for his efforts in promoting karate.
And two years go, he was inducted into the European Hall of Fame for Martial Arts.
Now, the redoubtable 68-year-old has been invited to visit Kagoshima and Nagasaki in the Land of the Rising Sun by a group of Japanese karate students who visited Aberdeen last year.
Mr Watt’s packed itinerary includes a series of meetings with local dignitaries and businesses, in addition to karate demonstrations.
He said: “I am delighted to once again be returning to Japan, and look forward to highlighting the many opportunities for trade and friendship between our two countries.”
The veteran karate master will bring a number of gifts for his Japanese hosts during his stay, including engraved quaichs and a bottle of “The Glover” whisky, named after the famed Scottish Samurai Thomas Blake Glover who lived in Nagasaki.
Mr Watt met this week with north-east MSPs Alex Johnstone and Ross Thomson at the Aberdeen Maritime Museum’s Thomas Blake Glover exhibition, in advance of his trip.
Mr Thomson added: “The important and longstanding relationship between the city and the Japanese continues to go from strength to strength.
“I have been delighted to welcome several delegations from Japan and lead the way in bringing Glover House back into use, and I welcome any positive move that supports this important relationship.”
