Ambassador Okuda’s Official Visit to British Columbia
From October 7th-9th, Ambassador Okuda made an official visit to Vancouver, British Columbia. He met with a number of dignitaries including the Honourable Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia, the Honourable Rich Coleman, Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing and Deputy Premier, the Honourable Teresa Wat, Minister of International Trade, and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism and the Honourable Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
In meetings with the Premier and members of her Cabinet Ambassador Okuda noted the significance of Prime Minister Abe’s visit to Canada in late September, the first by a Japanese Prime Minister in 7 years. The Ambassador conveyed Japan’s strong desire to secure access to Canada’s stable supply of natural resources, including LNG, at a competitive price. In response, the British Columbia side acknowledged that greater energy cooperation between Japan and the province would reinforce the economic relationship between Canada and Japan.
While in British Columbia, the Ambassador visited Nikkei Place in Burnaby, Japan-related facilities in Steveston, and the Vancouver Japanese Language School and Japanese Hall on Powell Street (formerly Japantown). He also gave a lecture hosted by the Canada-Japan Society of British Columbia on Canada-Japan relations, after which he had the opportunity to meet and exchange views with representatives from Japanese companies in Vancouver and Japanese-Canadian associations.
The Ambassador recognized the efforts of Japanese communities in Vancouver, which was the major Canadian destination for Japanese immigrants in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, with regard to safeguarding Japanese culture. He noted the hard work expended by the members of these communities to improve the welfare of Japanese-Canadians and to contribute to Canadian society as a whole in a wide variety of fields.
Given its rich natural resources and its role as Canada’s Pacific Gateway to Japan, it is clear that strengthening Japan’s economic relationship with the Province of British Columbia is essential. This was reaffirmed throughout the course of the visit. It was also acknowledged that the continued promotion of youth and other person-to-person exchanges would contribute to a stronger bilateral relationship in the future.
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