Manchester Town Hall, Iwakura Ambassadors' Mission, Iwakura Tomomi, Ōkubo Toshimichi, and 3 others

This red commemorative plaque records: This plaque commemorates the visit of the Iwakura Ambassadors' Mission from Japan, which was received by the Lord Mayor in the original Manchester Town Hall which stood on this site. The 40-member Japanese delegation came to Manchester and the North West to learn from its civic, industrial and commercial success. On leaving Manchester in October 1872 Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary Iwakura stated: "We have found friendship at every turn and hope that you may one day visit Japan so that we may return your kindness and hospitality." Recorded plaque organisation: Manchester City Council.

The Iwakura Ambassadors' Mission, led by figures such as Iwakura Tomomi, Ōkubo Toshimichi, Kido Takayoshi, Itō Hirobumi, and Kume Kunitake, was a significant Japanese delegation that traveled abroad from 1871 to 1873 to study Western political systems, technology, and culture, playing a crucial role in Japan's modernization during the Meiji Restoration.