Tag Archives: Canada

Meeting with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan

Today our group met with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan‘s Executive Director David Anderson, and Canada Wood‘s Japan Operations Director Shawn Lawlor to discuss Canadian business issues, trends and opportunities in Japan with a focus on the greater context of a Japan-Canada EPA.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ) is a private sector, not-for-profit business organization serving its members through communications, networking and advocacy. Since 1975 the CCCJ has been active in promoting the development of commerce between Canada and Japan.

The organization has been very proactive role in the Canada-Japan EPA discussion. On July 13 2011, they presented to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on Canadian business trends in Japan.

Lists of Japanese companies in Canada & Canadian comapnies in Japan

Japanese companies in Canada

  • The Shokokai (Toronto Japanese Association of Commerce and Industry) website page has a member’s list on the Japanese version of their website (doesn’t exist on the English version!).
  • Vancouver and Montreal and Japanese business associations have member links as well…
  • Also, JAMA Canada has a map of Japanese auto companies:
  • There are a couple of Japanese telephone directories, TOWN PAGES and bitsTOWN, which have many Japanese companies listed.

Canadian comapnies in Japan

1 Canadian dollar = 77.52 Japanese Yen (August 10, 2011) - wow ~

AEL

Japan – Shook, but Still a Priority Market

DFAIT in collaboration with MOFA and JETRO held a series of seminars across five Canadian cities from June 17 to 24, 2011, to declare that, notwithstanding the human and social costs of the March 11 triple disaster, Japan is recovering and is open for business.

The heavy task of national reconstruction is coupled with burdensome fiscal challenges. The gravity of the recent disaster cannot be understated, however radiation levels are low, and sustained infrastructural damage was localized in Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures[1]. With this notion in mind, the Japanese and Canadian government collaboratively explained that the recent disasters have not shaken Japan’s value as a world business hub[2].

Japan is still the world’s third largest economy. Its corporate sector is home to 71 of the Fortune Global 500 companies and ranks third-highest among OECD countries in government and business domestic investment on R&D. Japan’s top five trading houses alone estimated to reserve a respective ¥3 trillion (CDN$36 billion). Finally, the country is rich in human, infrastructure and social capital.

Japan is Canada’s largest bilateral FDI partner in Asia, taking in $13.1 billion in 2009 coming from more than 550 Japanese subsidiaries and affiliate companies employing tens of thousands of Canadians. In 2010 Imports from Japan were valued at 13,449,917,049[3]. In the same year Canada’s exports to Japan exceeded $8 billion; a figure considerably larger than the $4 billion total for NAFTA partner Mexico ranking Japan as Canada’s fourth largest export destination and import source[4].

Canada and Japan’s bilateral diplomatic relations, established in 1928, have proven to be of immense benefit for the respective parties. As Japan continues down recovery following the March 2011 triple disaster, Canada is doing more than maintaining the status-quo concerning its mutually beneficial bilateral relations.  A responsive attitude towards the needs of the Japanese Government and direct investment into reconstruction of infrastructure will prove to further enhance Canada and Japan’s ties as global partners.

Countries at a Glance

Regional information

Invest Canada-Japan

Opening a business

Japanese Market Opportunities (DFAIT Trade Comissioner Service)

Currency

  • 1 Canadian dollar = 78.00 Japanese Yen (August 9, 2011)