Issue 2 2026

The Canada–Japan business relationship continues to gain momentum. Recent developments provide many reasons for optimism.

First, congratulations to AltaGas on the successful launch of the first of two new LPG vessels. This milestone represents an important step in strengthening Canada’s energy partnership with Japan and underscores the long-term commitment of Canadian industry to…

Few among the nearly 400 guests gathered at the Waldorf Astoria Osaka for this year’s Kansai International Meishi Exchange (KIME) seemed inclined to disagree with Mayor of Osaka Hideyuki Yokoyama’s assessment, a reflection of the growing confidence surrounding the Kansai region.

Held against the backdrop of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, this year’s KIME brought together leaders fr om…

With teams ranging from first-time duffers to seasoned veterans like Ambassador Ian McKay and his teammates, on May 29 the stage was set for a day of friendly competition at the CCCJ’s annual Golf Scramble. Held at the award-winning Tsutsujigaoka Country Club in Tochigi, this year we had a record-breaking 116 golfers, making it the largest Golf Scramble in CCCJ history.

Nestled…

After years when “Canada is a dependable energy supplier” has been almost our mantra in Japan, this year the message is finally coming through, loud and clear.

Canada’s trans-Pacific energy exports are steadily ramping up from ports along the British Columbia coast. From Burnaby B.C., it’s Alberta’s bitumen crude. From Kitimat, it’s LNG shipments that began in 2025. And from…

To shine some light on the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence, and what it means for both Canada and Japan, on March 23 the CCCJ and Nishimura & Asahi co-hosted this highly informative event.

Perspectives on the promise and perils of AI

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) may be atop the news and front-of-mind, many people still don’t know what to make of…

In 2028, Japan and Canada will celebrate the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two countries. For me, this has special significance as I have been involved in this relationship on-and-off for half a century.

In 1974, I interpreted for Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka when he met Pierre Trudeau at 24 Sussex Drive. At the time, Canada was then beginning to look to…

The way some stories start reveals nothing about where they will wind up. Like mine. How did a small-town boy from Saskatchewan end up as a Japanese citizen and the first foreign-born member of a prefectural legislature? This takes some explaining… but here’s the short version.

I’m from Wymark, 20km south of Swift Current, a hamlet so small that my immediate family were nearly 10%…

Back in the 1980s, getting news from Canada was near impossible here in Japan. When veterans like me first arrived, we had to beg friends flying in on Canadian Airlines to snag the Globe & Mail off the plane. Or else sit in the Embassy lobby reading week-old copies. Otherwise, Canada was rarely mentioned in The Japan Times. So I spent countless hours fruitlessly trying to get Radio Canada…