Event Reports

Earlier this month, Japanese homebuilder Araya Kosan opened "Selco Home Takaoka Models," a model site in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, of homes assembled using complete kits imported from Canada. The long lasting, well insulated, earthquake-resistant homes feature ash floors and solid oak fixtures. In...

The Bank of Japan decided January 22 to keep its key interest rate on hold in a widely expected move and warned that the Japanese economy is "slowing" for the time being due to global financial market turmoil and weak domestic housing investment. The nine-member Policy Board of the central bank...

The Canada Beef Export Federation (CBEF) will conduct a Canada Beef Technical Seminar for 150 guests at the Intercontinental Tokyo Bay Hotel from 5 to 9 p.m. January 29. Targeting the retail and food service industries, the event aims to make developers of beef products aware of the unique qualities...

In an interview with a Japanese industrial paper, Alberta Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry Iris Evans emphasized that Alberta oilsand was an important investment opportunity for Japan because Japan is highly dependent on foreign energy. She explained Canada’s own oilsand investments...

In a recent Vancouver meeting with Japanese journalists, BC Assistant Deputy Minister of Economic Development Mike Carter appealed for Japanese investment and explained why the province had a bright future. Carter said, for example, that the BC economy’s current shift from natural resources and...

Tomoshige Sakamoto of the Canadian Beef Export Federation says Japan’s rule that beef imported from Canada must come from animals under 21 months of age results in higher prices and lower sales. Canada’s beef exports to Japan this year are expected to reach 3,400 tonnes. Although that is 60% more...

The Asia Pacific region will experience slower economic growth in 2008, but is likely to avoid a sharp downturn due to the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US, according to the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council’s annual State of the Region report. PECC forecasters expect 4.9% real GDP growth for...

Starting in April of 2008, Canada Pork International (CPI) will offer 2-day training courses in Japan for pork buyers from Japanese supermarkets. The buyers will learn about pork production in Canada, butchering techniques, and quality maintenance. CPI is offering the courses to raise awareness of...

Japan’s national broadcaster NHK announced that it has signed a contract to supply programs to Discovery Channel Canada. NHK will supply over 70 hours of programming between now and September 2010. Information summarized from: Nikkei courtesy of Canadian Embassy Translation Services, Tokyo

British Columbia’s Minister of State for Mining, Kevin Krueger, recently visited Japan following a visit to China. In a Japanese newspaper interview, he stressed BC’s rich and wide-ranging mineral resources and appealed for Japanese investment. He emphasized that BC’s coal was of high quality and...

Auctions of Canadian herring roe have been underway for nearly a month in Osaka, Kobe, and Nagoya. Canadian fishing restrictions resulting in a smaller catch are raising prices in Japan. Roe sold under the "Yellow Diamonds" brand is 10-30% more expensive than last year. Even so, dealers recommend...

Negotiations between Canada’s largest potash producer, Canpotex, and Japanese potash buyers (agriculture cooperatives and trading companies) over the January-to-June 2008 price of potash have ended with the Japanese side accepting a price hike of 40 to 50%, the largest in history. Prices have been...