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We hope this issue of The Canadian finds you well into the swing of the Year of the Boar and ready to make the most of what 2019 has in store for you.
One of the things that will shape 2019 and the years to come is the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Only having come into force on December 30, it is already having a significant effect on trade between Canada and Japan, thanks to its lowering of tariffs on a broad array of goods and services. We’ve taken a long look at the agreement and what it will mean for businesses large and small in the Asia–Pacific region.
As we find out from a conversation with our cover stars Simon and Martina Stawski, the past several years have seen a change in the way YouTube content creation works. No longer is it just a niche activity for people with quirky interests. It has become a platform that allows its superstars to reach millions of viewers — and command equally impressive salaries.
Canadian sports fans had something to cheer about last year, when their nation’s rugby team pulled through the repechage tournament held in Marseille, France, in November to secure a berth in the Rugby World Cup (RWC) 2019. Two legendary players who have seen plenty of RWC action are Jamie Cudmore of Canada and Hitoshi Ono of Japan. The two athletes play the same position and have recently gotten to know each other off the pitch. We spoke to them about their greatest moments in the sport, mutual respect and what their sides need to do to find success in the RWC 2019.
However, veterans aren’t the only people who can have an impact on their teams. Late last year, we had the chance to sit down with a group of talented interns who, through the Canada-Japan Co-op Program, were working at Rakuten, Inc. Although these young students didn’t have much experience, they brought a tremendous amount of value to the company while learning how to work in an overseas environment.
One of my favourite features can be found on the final page. The history articles by Tim Hornyak are a fascinating set of stories about the Canadians of generations past who helped develop ties with Japan in a dazzling variety of ways. In this issue’s instalment, you’ll read about Sarah Agnes Wintemute Coates, a woman who first came to Japan as a missionary, but found unexpected success in manufacturing peanut butter. Although not all of us make such drastic career changes when we come to Japan, the country does have ways of presenting us with options we had never expected.
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