Belfast lawyer Conor Houston will return to Tokyo on Friday to represent the UK at a Ship for World Youth Alumni Association (SWYAA) conference hosted by the Japanese government.

In January 2015, Mr Houston became the first person from Northern Ireland to lead Team UK on the Ship for World Youth (SWY).

More than 200 young people from across the world board the Ship for World Youth for four weeks as part of a leadership and cultural exchange programme organised by the Japanese government.

The Alumni Association exists to continue the spirit of international co-operation and to co-ordinate youth-led projects globally.

Mr Houston, who led the ten-person UK team on the Ship for World Youth, will now attend a three-day conference in Tokyo to plan future co-operation between young people globally.

As part of the visit, he will have a courtesy call with the Japanese cabinet and Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Ahead of his trip, Mr Houston said: “It is a huge honour to be once again representing the UK on the international stage at the SWY Alumni conference.

“It is an opportunity for young people to devise projects that can make an impact both in their local communities and also at an international level - we come together in a spirit of co-operation as global citizens.

“It also demonstrates that Northern Ireland can play a positive and leading role on both the national and international stage – my dream is to one day bring the Ship to Belfast as part of the SWY programme!”