The Japan-Canada Joint Chamber Council meeting takes place once a year alternating between Japan and Canada, to discuss bilateral business relationship and partnership between Japan and Canada. This year was attended by members of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC), Sendai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ).

The conference discussed the current bilateral business situation, including several participants expressing concern over retreat from global cooperation and free trade, and Mr. Perrin Beatty and Mr Steve Dechka expressed a strong desire to more forward with a close Canada-Japan relationship by improving cooperation on trade, investment, tourism, and education. 

The council suggested that while TPP should still be invested in, a bilateral EPA is necessary and beneficial for both Canada and Japan. The council urged both governments to move towards an eventually bilateral agreement. The Counci also suggested that bilateral industry-academia-government collaboration must be more strongly promoted between the two countries. Cross-border personale exchange especially in tourism and exchange programs should also be expanded. 

Council members also had the opportunity to visit the disaster affected areas in Miyagi Prefecture, including the "Maple Pavillion", one of the most symbolic Canadian project in the reconstruction of the Tohoku region. 

CCCJ Chair Ron Haigh attended the conference along with governors Claire Deronzier, Kiyo Weiss, David Anderson, and Eric de Groot, introducing the CCCJ as the "bridge" between Canada and Japan. Ron Haigh also formally introduced the Canada in Japan/Japan in Canada Investment Business Guide, a one-stop source for investment information for companies and individuals. This marks the official launch of the CCCJ Business Guide, which will be used by the Embassy of Canada to Japan as well as JETRO in promoting bilateral investment and businesses. 

Thank you everyone for your support in the CCCJ's CSR program, the Tohoku Youth Project 2017. We were very happy to wrap up this year's project with our Tokyo Bay Night Cruising event on March 17th, 2017. 

With a joint effort of companies and host families, we hosted 14 bright students from the Tohoku region for a week of internship in Tokyo. During their stay, students had to opportunity to discover the working world, explore various industries, interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds, as well as enjoy some of the exciting places around Tokyo. Each student shared their incredible experiences with a great speech on the boat, while enjoying a night barbeque. This year, we heard of experiences such as going to the World Baseball Championship games, trying international food for the first time, flying a flight simulator, exploring parts of Tokyo and many more.

We would like to express again a big thank you to all the host families and company sponsors this year for their support. 

For those who are interested in the program, please feel free to contact info@cccj.or.jp

The CCCJ in collaboration with Tokyo Canadians Hockey Club organized another edition of "Hockey Night in Tokyo" at Legend's Sports Bar in Roppongi. Around 40 people came out to the event and enjoyed another great evening of hockey and refreshments. Part of the evening's spendings will go into the CCCJ CSR Fund. We look forward to welcoming more people to the next hockey night. 

The CCCJ Canada 150 Speaker Series was succesfully launched with a very influential speaker, Ms Lise Thériault, Deputy Premier of Québec, Minister responsible for Small and Medium Entreprises, Regulatory Streamlining and Regional Economic Development. She spoke about Quebec’s new international policy and the opportunities it will create for Japanese businesses. Ms Thériault also shared her insights on how Québec was able to attract tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft with its recent developments in artificial inteligence.

Gathering over 80 important members of the Tokyo business community and the Quebec Delegation, it was a great opportunity for networking and insightful discussions. We would like to express our gratitude to Ms Lise Thériault, Ms. Claire Deronzier, and Ambassador Numata for their speeches.