Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 4/30/19

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to set the foundation for an even closer Canada-Japan relationship, according to a Canadian government news release.

The two leaders also discussed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which has already resulted in a nearly threefold increase in Canadian beef product exports to Japan.

Japan was the No. 1 importer of Canadian pork in 2018 worth $1.3 billion.

Building on this momentum, the two leaders finalized two memoranda. The first Memorandum of Cooperation, between Invest in Canada and the Japan External Trade Organization, will make it easier for Canadian and Japanese companies to work in partnership, and will drive investment in both our countries.

The second Memorandum of Understanding, between the National Research Council of Canada and the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International of Japan, will support joint research and development in fields like robotics and telecommunications.

"Our close economic ties with Japan have never been stronger thanks in large part to our new trade deal with Asia and Pacific countries — and our government is strengthening those ties even further,” Canada’s Minister of International Trade Diversification Jim Carr. “That's why we're adding trade commissioners right across Canada, and putting new trade commissioners in three major Japanese cities to help our businesses and economy grow. A new hub in Tokyo will also help Canadian tech companies to thrive in the Japanese market."

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