Investment seminar

On Sept. 18, valued CCCJ member Sprucegrove Investment Management Limited held its annual investment seminar, Quality Across Borders: Navigating Concentration and Structural Change, at the Embassy of Canada to Japan. Hosted by the Ontario Trade and Investment Office in Tokyo and supported by the CCCJ, the event brought together business leaders, investors and professionals to discuss the forces shaping today’s global investment landscape.

Keynote speakers John Mackay and Hiroshi Ito, co-founders of Paradaim, shared insights on corporate ownership, governance reforms and long-term value creation in Japan. This was followed by Sprucegrove Investment Management executives Arjun Kumar, CEO and portfolio manager, and Tasleem Jamal, executive vice president and head of marketing & client services, who explored trends including market concentration, technological disruption and structural change, while highlighting the firm’s long-term “safety in quality” investment philosophy.

The event included remarks from Christian Howes of the Ontario Trade and Investment Office in Tokyo, and CCCJ Governor and Treasurer Ai Nakagawa, who highlighted the Chamber’s mission and support of the Canada–Japan business community.

Team Canada Trade Mission to Japan

One of the highlights of my first year at the CCCJ was having the opportunity to participate in the Team Canada Trade Mission to Japan from June 23–26. With nearly 300 delegates, it was the largest Team Canada Trade Mission to the Indo-Pacific to date, and the scale was truly impressive. Bringing together representatives from a wide range of industries, alongside First Nations representatives, the mission reflected the depth and diversity of the Canada–Japan relationship.

The mission was a great success in advancing business opportunities. What struck me most was the strength of the relationship between Canada and Japan and the genuine interest on both sides in building on it. Beyond trade and investment, there was a clear sense of mutual trust and respect, as well as a shared commitment to long-term co-operation. Seeing these relationships develop firsthand reinforced the importance of the CCCJ’s role in bringing our business communities together and strengthening bilateral ties.

Investing in future business leaders

Developing the next generation of Canada–Japan business leaders is a priority for the CCCJ. In August, we once again participated in the Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU) Cross-Cultural College Global Career Seminar, which enabled us to continue our long-standing collaboration and engage with the next generation of Canada–Japan leaders. CCCJ Governors Riyo Whitney and Seiji Omote made the journey to Hyogo Prefecture to work with this year’s team of six students: four from KGU and two from Canada’s University of Toronto and Queen’s University.

The students were tasked to find out how the CCCJ could attract more young members and came up with a business plan centred around an ambassador volunteer program. Their idea was to create a network of young ambassadors who could help introduce the CCCJ to other students and bring more young people into the chamber community.

Continuing our focus on young professionals, we were also happy to once again be one of 18 chambers in Japan supporting the Japan Market Expansion Competition (JMEC), one of Japan’s leading executive management training programs. It’s a great opportunity for our young members to get hands-on experience developing business plans for the Japanese market and to work with companies on business challenges. 

As a young professional myself, I feel particularly proud of the CCCJ for offering these opportunities. Everyone starts somewhere, and I think it’s important that our younger members feel there is a place for them within the CCCJ, not just as the next generation but as a part of our community.

Strengthening business networks

Throughout the summer, the CCCJ continued its strong tradition of member engagement through a range of collaborative events with fellow chambers of commerce. 

We started off with Move, Eat, Chill, our much-loved wellness event, which returned after three years. This year, we collaborated with fellow Francophones, the Belgian–Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Wellness Committee Chair Joey Wu challenged us with a sweat-inducing active yoga session against the backdrop of the Embassy of Canada to Japan, while CCCJ Governor Greg Rozitis led a group jog in the area.

These sessions were followed by a health-conscious bento box on the embassy terrace overlooking the Tokyo skyline, while Christian Howes of the Ontario Trade and Investment Office shared insights into the embassy’s distinctive architectural features and Canadian design elements.

Joint chamber collaborations continued, first with the event I was most looking forward to this summer (although I admit I’m biased): the Transatlantic Trivia Night with the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce. The two chambers came together at An Sólás, an Irish pub in Yoyogi, for friendly competition and networking. I was particularly pleased to introduce our Canadian cohort to one of Ireland’s greatest treasures, Tayto crisps.

Following this came the Joint Chamber Summer Cocktail, one of the most anticipated and largest events on the inter-chamber calendar. This year, we saw more than 300 guests from 19 chambers of commerce get together on the rooftop terrace of Hilton Tokyo. It was a hot and humid evening, but the views, drinks and company made it all worthwhile.

Hilton Tokyo saw a lot of action this summer, also hosting our Joint Chamber Active Afterwork event with the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan and the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce. The plan was for an afternoon of tennis and pickleball on the rooftop, but we were rained out of that activity and instead moved indoors for lively conversation and connection among the three chambers. Plan B isn’t always a bad thing!