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I hope that our first issue of 2021 finds you well, and ready to enjoy the warmer weather that’s just around the corner.
As you’ll see, we’ve been able to include a tribute to one of the great members of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ) community, Wilf Wakely. I remember being blown away by Wilf’s charisma and charm when he delivered some impromptu remarks in English — and incredible Japanese — at the 2018 Maple Leaf Gala. But it was through reading the many remembrances that were shared with us that I came to understand just how much he did during his exciting life to further Canada–Japan ties.
One example of this is our coverage of the webinar that brought together the CCCJ, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ottawa-based Canadian Chamber of Commerce, putting a spotlight on the ways in which Canadian and Japanese businesses can make the most of trade agreements and shared values to benefit their respective economies. Even with the challenges brought about through Covid-19, it is meet-ings of the minds such as these that can further progress.
And the agreement signed late last year between Aéro Montréal, Québec’s aerospace cluster, and the Aichi-Nagoya Aerospace Consortium is another example of how organizations on both sides of the Pacific are harnessing their significant expertise to create collaborations that will bring about new products and solutions.
During my conversation with the duo behind the start-up mattress firm gugu sleep, I learned how they have brought their unique backgrounds to addressing an issue that’s important for all of us, in our busy lives: getting enough rest. And they’ve also added a Canadian element to the company’s DNA — Ken Gold is from Toronto and is a McGill MBA Japan Program graduate, and Patrick Morris is a proud member of the Tokyo Canadians hockey team, which we featured in our last issue.
And staying on the topic of sports, I grew up playing basketball, and through working on The Canadian, I’ve become a fan of Toronto Raptors — even though they had to go through my hometown Warriors to win a championship. So I was happy that we could include the article on Yuta Watanabe, who is helping to fire up Japanese basketball fans and drawing kudos within the NBA for his hard work and dedication to the details. His ganbaru spirit is something we can all learn from.
As always, thank you very much for your continued readership. Stay safe, take care and we’ll see you in the spring.
thecanadian.cccj.or.jp
