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The days are growing shorter, the temperatures are dropping and the trees have changed their greens for reds, browns and golds. Autumn is well with us, and it won’t be long until we’re all in a holiday state of mind. This is also the perfect time of year to catch up with your reading, so we’ve put together a diverse selection of articles that we hope you’ll find both informative and interesting.
As Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ) members are well aware, Canada and Japan have very strong economic ties. Helping make those connections even stronger is part of the work of Invest in Canada, a new federal investment promotion agency that seeks to streamline foreign investment. Heading the organization as its inaugural CEO is Ian G. McKay, whose career in finance and the federal government is long and distinguished. We had the chance to catch up with him while he was in Tokyo, and we spoke about his ties to Japan, his work with the Canadian federal government and how Invest in Canada is aiming for success. We found his comments to be quite insightful; we believe you will too.
Canada has not had an astronaut in space in five years, but that dry spell will soon be broken: David Saint-Jacques is scheduled to go into orbit in December for a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. While he was in Japan earlier for training, he took the time to visit with CCCJ members and talk about what he has learned since joining the astronaut program.
In September, six chambers of commerce in Japan — including the CCCJ — approved a joint Viewpoint on Marriage Equality, in a strong show of support for this country’s LGBT community. One figure who was instrumental in making this possible is lawyer Alexander Dmitrenko, co-founder and co-chair of the Lawyers for LGBT & Allies Network.
Japanese craftwork, with its exacting standards and legendary attention to detail, has won fans around the world, and Kevin Kent is one of them. His fascination with Japanese knives inspired him to go from selling them out of a backpack to opening five knife stores across Canada.
Cryptocurrencies may have cooled down since the heady days of late 2017, but they’re a strong part of fintech’s future, and Japan has its sights set on being a leader in this rapidly developing space. That’s the reason DLTa21, a Vancouver-based global blockchain investment bank, is looking to launch a cryptocurrency exchange here, in collaboration with Coinsquare, a Canadian trading platform.
We thank you for your readership, and we’ll see you in 2019. thecanadian.cccj.or.jp
