Report

Overview

The Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group (CAJP or “the association”) sent its two Co-Chairs to Japan for an official program in Tokyo, Fukushima and Sapporo from 9 to 12 October 2018. The Co-Chairs of the CAJP are the Honourable Jim Munson, Senator, and Mr. Terry Sheehan, M.P. The program for the visit was from 9 to 12 October 2018. The Co-Chairs met with their counterparts from the Japan-Canada Diet Friendship League (DFL) to discuss the organisation of the 21^st Annual Bilateral Meeting between the two associations, which is being planned for later this sitting period. They also engaged in parliamentary diplomacy and fact-finding on behalf of the CAJP by conducting site visits and meetings with other Japanese parliamentarians, public officials, subject matter experts, and representatives from private businesses.

The CAJP’s primary purpose is to promote exchanges between Japanese and Canadian parliamentarians, propose initiatives likely to lead to a better mutual understanding of bilateral and multilateral problems, and to develop co-operation between the two countries in all fields of human activity.

This visit therefore allowed the Co-Chairs to:

• Build stronger links between the CAJP and the DFL;
• Explore shared interests and mutual priorities together with Japanese parliamentarians;
• Discuss the objectives, proposed topics and other logistical questions for the upcoming 21^st Annual Bilateral Meeting between the CAJP and the DFL;
• Raise Canada’s profile in Tokyo, Fukushima and Sapporo by engaging with politicians, local officials and Japanese and Canadian businesses; and
• Identify potential areas for enhancing cooperation, trade, scientific exchange and people to people ties between Japanese and Canadians.

The Co-Chairs were accompanied from Ottawa by Julian Walker, the CAJP’s Advisor from the Library of Parliament, and also by officials from the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo.

Meetings with the Diet Friendship League

On 10 October 2018, the Co-Chairs met with two executive members of the DFL to discuss Canada–Japan relations broadly, but also to prepare for the anticipated 21^st Annual Bilateral Meeting in Ottawa. In attendance were Ms. Shinako Tsuchiya, Vice-president and Chief Secretary of the DFL, and Mr. Masaharu Nakagawa, Vice-president and Secretary General of the DFL, Mr. Taroh Sasaki, Secretary (assistant to Ms. Tsuchiya), and Embassy of Canada staff. Mr. Seishiro Eto, the President of the DFL, could not attend, but passed on his interest in coming to Canada for the next bilateral meetings.

The Co-Chairs took the opportunity to express how much Canada values its bilateral relations with Japan and to convey the CAJP’s interest in deepening ties with Japan’s Diet. The participants at this meeting explored the potential topics for discussions at the next bilateral meetings. Possible topics for consideration included: the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), peace and security in East Asia, women in politics, climate change, and energy policies. They also explored how Canada and Japan may share common ground in their approaches to these topics. The Co-Chairs shared Canada’s experience in addressing issues facing women, such as ways to encourage more women to participate in politics, to implement pay equity, and to adopt workplace harassment policies.

The participants at this meeting had further discussions on trade and investment, while noting the opportunities created by the CPTPP and the importance of taking advantage of them in the time after ratification. The Co-Chairs explained that they expected Canada would ratify the treaty in the very near future.

Participants also addressed when the bilateral meeting could be held. It was agreed that the most suitable time would be in May 2019, though that will be subject to confirmation by the respective associations. Lastly, some discussion was had as to whether the DFL delegation would visit other places than Ottawa, though no decisions were made.

The discussions on bilateral relations continued during a luncheon hosted by Ms. Tsuchiya. The Co-Chairs thanked Ms. Tsuchiya for her continued support and personal involvement in the parliamentary link between the associations.

Meetings with Parliamentarians

The Co-Chairs met with the heads of several parliamentary committees in Tokyo on 10 October 2018. First, they met with Shinji Oguma Director of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs. As Mr. Oguma is from Fukushima Prefecture, he was happy to learn about the Co-Chairs experiences visiting J-Village and the Fukushima Daichi plant the day before. He thanked them for their support and noted that it is still very difficult to get visitors to the region and to export goods. Mr. Oguma also thanked Canada for its continuing participation in the multinational initiative to enforce United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against North Korea. Other topics of discussion included: proposed amendments to Japan’s immigration law to accommodate foreign workers; North Korean denuclearization and Japanese concerns for the return of Japanese citizens who were abducted forty years ago by North Korea; Japanese foreign relations; Canadian and Japanese military co-operation in the region; and ways to increase trade between Canada and Japan.

The Co-Chairs next met with Hisashi Inatsu, Chair of the House of Representatives Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry. As he is from Hokkaido, the trip to Sapporo planned for the following day was discussed at the outset of the meeting. The topics addressed during this meeting included the work of the trade and industry committees in each country’s parliaments; recent Japanese laws concerning such topics as energy, foreign workers, and anti-corruption; fisheries and the need to conserve and protect fish habitat; and the Kitimat LNG Project in BC.

All participants expressed their hopes for a deeper trade and investment relationship between the two countries. In particular, they agreed to promote the CPTPP and the opportunities it would provide in each country. The Co-Chairs underscored the benefits and stability that will be provided by the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) [US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)] and how that will in turn help with Japanese trade and investment (in particular, the Japanese auto manufacturing sector in Canada).  

For their last meeting in Tokyo, the Co-Chairs met with Mr. Shingo Miyake, Chair of the House of Councillors Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense. Mr. Miyake also thanked Canada for its continuing support in the multinational initiative to enforce UNSC sanctions against North Korea. The participants discussed the signing of an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in April and the Japanese government’s intentions for tabling this treaty together with other similar instruments in the near future. Other topics of discussion included: security legislation and proposed constitutional reforms and their impact on Japan’s Special Defence Forces (SDF); the presence of Canadian naval ships and a submarine in the region and their cooperation with the SDF; China’s territorial claims and related actions in the South China Sea; attempts to resolve territorial disputes and improve relations between Russia and Japan; balancing relations in the region, particularly as they involve China and Russia; and Mr. Miyake’s experience travelling to Rwanda.

On 11 October 2018 in Sapporo, the Co-Chairs met with three members of the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly who are also members of the Japan–Canada Hokkaido Assembly Friendship League: Mr. Noritoshi Murata, President, Mr. Akira Tomihara, Chief Secretary, and Mr. Ryuji Kasai, Secretary General. The recently created league’s purpose is to promote further exchanges between Hokkaido and Canada in the lead-up to the 40^th anniversary of the Hokkaido–Alberta twinning affiliation in 2020. It has 90 members drawn from many political parties.

Participants shared their views on the positive relations between Japan and Canada, and between Hokkaido and Alberta, as well as the opportunities to strengthen these. They discussed the many sister-city connections and explored the ways in which they could make efforts to create more. Participants also discussed some of the efforts to promote indigenous culture and history in both Hokkaido and Canada. It was noted that representatives from Ainu organizations in Hokkaido were already speaking to Cree groups in Canada. Mr. Sheehan expressed interest in following up in order to create connections between Ainu cultural institutions (an Ainu museum was mentioned) and the Anishinabek Discovery Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Co-Chairs met with Harumi Tahakashi, the Governor of Hokkaido, and exchanged views on relations between Hokkaido and Canada. The Co-Chairs mentioned their support for expanding the number of sister cities and building the number of educational exchanges. Ms. Tahakashi discussed the recent typhoon and earthquake that had caused damage to the island and the recovery efforts that were underway. The Co-Chairs expressed their support and added that they would spread the message about how impressive these efforts have been and how Hokkaido continues to be a great place to visit and do business.

Meetings at the Embassy of Canada in Tokyo

The Co-Chairs attended the Embassy of Canada’s IN³ High-level Seminar and Reception on Investment, Innovation and Infrastructure in order to help promote Canada as the best country in which to invest in the G7. The IN³ Seminar was attended by current and potential Japanese investors, business associations, business leaders, representatives from multinational enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises, trading houses, research institutes and other stakeholders interested in investing, innovating, and building in Canada. Key speakers at the seminar were Mr. Ian McKay, CEO, Invest in Canada, Mr. Iain Stewart, President, National Research Council of Canada, and Mr. Pierre Lavallée, President and CEO, Canadian Infrastructure Bank. Others who spoke included Ambassador Burney; Parliamentary Vice-Minister, Mr. Hirofumi Takanami, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; and, Naoko Yoshizawa, Vice President, Fujitsu. The event was presented in collaboration with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japanese Institute for Overseas Investment.

The presentations provided information, analysis and opinion on such topics as: ways in which Canada can help accelerate innovation; opportunities for growth; the Innovation Superclusters Initiative (which brings together private and public investment for innovation in regional economic centres); the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s mandate to invest in and attract further private investment in revenue-generating infrastructure that is also in the public interest; future trends in artificial intelligence (Fujitsu just opened its Artificial Intelligence Global Headquarters in Vancouver); among others.

Seminar participants attended a reception at the Embassy. Mr. Sheehan addressed the audience at the reception, thanking participants for their attendance and their interest in Canada, Ms. Tsuchiya represented the DFL at the event as well. The presence of both associations sent a strong message of the importance of the Canada–Japan relationship to both countries. The Co-Chairs took time at the event to meet with attendees, including Mr. Takinami and former Ambassador to Canada, Kenjiro Monji.

Earlier in the day, the Co-Chairs had a briefing with the Canadian Ambassador to Japan, Ian Burney, and members of his staff. They provided an overview of the current political landscape in Japan and the key issues, challenges and messages that were relevant to the Co-Chairs’ program.

Visit to Fukushima

The Co-Chairs travelled to Fukushima Prefecture on 9 October 2018 to learn more about the reconstruction and remediation efforts in the region since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, the tsunami it caused, and the nuclear power station accident that followed at Fukushima Daichi. This also provided an opportunity to better understand the unique challenges facing Japan in terms of caring for the environment and developing a safe and reliable energy program.

The Co-Chairs visited the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant and met with TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company) representatives to learn more about the decontamination and clean-up work following the nuclear accident, such as efforts to control and remove radioactive materials from the damaged reactors and to decontaminate the site. The site visit included a drive through the exclusion zone around the plant and the abandoned properties, houses and businesses, as well as a tour of the plant to see first-hand the damage caused by the tsunami. Safety procedures ensured that the group was not exposed to harmful amounts of radiation.

The Co-Chairs also visited J-Village, a national training centre for sport and a conference centre. Prior to the Great East Japan Earthquake, it was Japan’s official training grounds for soccer and was used for many other sports and corporate and public purposes. After the earthquake, it was used by TEPCO as its operational base in dealing with the aftermath of the nuclear power station accident (and was therefore shut down). J-Village is in the process of re-opening its facilities in the hopes of not only resuming its former role in promoting sports, but also of attracting visitors to the region. Since the accident, visitors have largely stayed away from Fukushima due to fears of nuclear contamination. Officials from J-Village explained that the facility has become a symbol for the reconstruction efforts in the region.

Visit to Sapporo

The Co-Chairs visited Sapporo from 11 to 12 October 2018 on the northern island of Hokkaido, a region with strong cultural and economic ties with Canada. For instance, Hokkaido has the highest number of sister and friendship city arrangements with Canada of any Japanese prefecture (25 out of 71). It has also been twinned with the Province of Alberta since 1980. The Co-Chairs’ above-noted meetings with politicians in Sapporo allowed them to personally express condolences on behalf of the CAJP for the victims of the recent earthquake that struck the region on 6 September 2018 and to learn about recovery efforts.

The Co-Chairs visited the Hokkaido University Arctic Research Center and met with
Professor Sei-ichi Saitoh, Director, and Dr. Yasushi Fukamachi, Deputy Director. Mr. Saitoh described the research and science projects underway at the centre and the international work it is doing with circumpolar nations to promote the sustainable development and conservation of the Arctic. The Co-Chairs discussed the potential for further collaboration with Canada. In particular, they spoke about building a relationship with the Canadian Government’s Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR), which will operate the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) campus in Cambridge Bay. Participants in the meeting also discussed the future of the Arctic, with the potential for economic growth and new shipping lanes needing to be balanced with climate change concerns.

Afterwards, the Co-Chairs consulted with Keiji Ihara, Honorary Consul of Canada in Sapporo, to learn more about how he develops Canada’s presence in the region. Mr. Ihara is a major importer of Canadian fishery products, in particular herring roe. The Co-Chairs discussed the fisheries industry and the business climates in Sapporo and Vancouver, in particular regarding bilateral trade.

During their stay, the Co-Chairs were also given a presentation by John Proust, Chairman of Japan Gold Corp., and Mitsuhiko Yamada, President of Southern Arc Minerals Japan KK. They spoke about Japan Gold’s projects in Japan pertaining to mineral exploration and mining development. He explained that Japan revised its mining laws in 2012, thereby creating new opportunities in the mining sector that Japan Gold has been exploring. Japan Gold is the only foreign mineral exploration company involved in Japan and is aiming to increase its activities in Hokkaido. Its corporate headquarters are in Vancouver.

The Co-Chairs also met with Yoshiaki Kubo, the Deputy Director of the Sapporo Brewery Museum, and learned more about the history and economic importance of Sapporo Brewery to the region. They also learned how the company imports much Canadian cereal for its domestic production and about its ownership of Sleeman Breweries in Ontario.

Respectfully submitted,