Canada and Japan have been enjoying a lovely spring, also marked by the recent displays of the aurora borealis. The sight of lights dancing in northern Hokkaido skies and some of Canada’s major cities reminds me of how much our two countries have in common. As one of my Japanese teachers always said, “We both have four beautiful seasons; winter is just a little longer in Canada.”

Those rare atmospheric manifestations and the blooming of cherry blossoms in Tokyo and tulips in Ottawa give us new hope, excitement and the sense of great things to come. The last few months, for example, have brought a great uptick in Canada-Japan business activities. We’re particularly very pleased to hear about Honda’s big investment of around CAD$15 billion in a new EV complex in Ontario. These cars will usher in a new ecosystem of innovation in Canada’s auto industry while spurring the drive for decarbonization in our transportation infrastructure. Seamless teamwork from the Ontario government and Christian Howes’ team in Tokyo.

The CCCJ is also happy to hear that Export Development Canada (EDC) will officially start operations here in Japan this fall, and pleased to announce that the organisation has become a CCCJ member. Executive Director Noriko Ishida and I recently met with their CEO, Mairead Lavery, and their Japan representative director, Jean-Bernard Ruggiery. EDC’s team is highly motivated to support Canadian companies of all sizes looking to expand their operations and investments in the region, and to liaise with potential Japanese partners. We both have a strong interest in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and sustainability in our economies. We’ll work together to promote such initiatives in Japan and across the APAC region.

The CCCJ has also been collaborating actively with other chambers to drive our DEI initiatives. We see unity as essential to building stronger pillars of a just society in Japan. We participated recently with other chambers in Japan (ACCJ, BCCJ, SACCJ, ICCJ) to celebrate women’s achievements. The EmpowerHER event was an opportunity for the community to create meaningful connections and have thought-provoking discussions on DEI’s importance in the workplace.

Earlier this year in Singapore, we also participated in the inaugural Indo-Pacific Canadian Chamber of Commerce meeting, initiated by our federal government and under the leadership of Paul Thoppil as Canada’s Indo-Pacific trade representative, based in Indonesia. This initiative focuses more on creating better coordination and synergies of Canadian chambers in the region to support our members active there. As the region’s oldest chamber, the CCCJ is committed to supporting that ongoing work and building a stronger network in our region.

On a more social note, the second CPTPP Cup golf tournament is coming up fast. Several CPTPP member chambers are participating, and we would like to particularly thank the AZCCJ and BCCJ for their invaluable support in organizing this event. We look forward to a strong turnout.

The CCCJ was impressed to see a great turnout in March at our Canadian Alumni Mixer event. We realized that there is a great pool of Japanese and Canadians of diverse backgrounds who have studied in Canada and are logical links to our present and future membership growth. We plan to host these events more frequently.

As a closing comment, I’d like to ask you to attend our 2024 AGM and Canada Day event, set for June 28 at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. This will also mark the closing of our annual period for BOG elections. Please remember to vote! We look forward to welcoming you to recap some of our activities during the last year and some to come in 2024-25. We look forward to seeing you at the event.