What is the Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce?

To all members of the Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce

Thank you very much for your continued cooperation.

The Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce was established in 2003 as the only Japanese-Canadian business organization registered with the federal government.

Our members primarily consist of companies and individuals operating businesses in Canada, as well as companies and individuals interested in business-related matters.

Our mission is to foster business and friendly relations within a multi-ethnic community by engaging in activities that extend beyond the Japanese-Canadian community, promoting interaction with other ethnic groups, and actively participating in Canadian society.

At the same time, we strive to develop our businesses by demonstrating a spirit of cooperation in a multi-ethnic community, acting as good citizens who give back to and contribute to the local community.

To fulfill this mission, an agreement was reached in 2003 to establish a cooperative relationship with the Chinese Entrepreneurs Society of Canada.

Furthermore, in 2005, an agreement was reached with the Burnaby Board of Trade, a Canadian organization with a large multicultural population, to promote active exchange with Canadian society. Since then, we have maintained a cooperative relationship through information exchange, events, and other activities.

In 2014, a new and strong network was formed through the membership of major Japanese companies and their participation in the board of directors. We look forward to the active participation of all members in JC-COC activities.

—–

Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce
founder
Kazuko Komatsu

Dear Members,

The Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce was registered with the Ministry of Industry of Canada in 2003 as the only federally registered Japanese Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Canada.
The majority of our members are comprised of corporate and individual members and also those who are interested in business between Japan and Canada, mostly based in Canada. Our mission is to encourage and develop business relationships, not only in the Japanese community but with other various communities within our multi-cultural society. Also, we wish to contribute to society through our activities and cooperate with the community to be better citizens and develop long term friendships.

We have executed our mission step by step.

In 2003, the cooperation agreement between JC-COC and Chinese Entrepreneurs Society of Canada was made.

In 2005, in order to advance our mission to local Canadian society, we established a joint membership with the Burnaby Board of Trade. tested, we have been involved in a variety of events which have helped to develop the well balanced, multi-cultural
business and friendly society that we share.

In 2014, we built some large bridges between Japanese Companies and
our members. Now we relationships are expanding with new, stronger
and many new members and directors. We welcome you to our team and
look forward to establishing new ties.

—–

Japan- Canada Chamber of Commerce
Founder
Kazuko Komatsu

A message from Sammy Chairman Takahashi

The Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce is a Canadian government-approved non-profit organization founded in 2003 by five founders, including the late Kazuko Komatsu, the first president (honorary director), and former president Saeko Tsuda (honorary director).

One of our main activities is to connect Japan and Canada through business, culture, education, and tourism. Currently, 15 board members are actively planning events on various themes that link Japan and Canada. One of these is promoting friendly relations between Canadian and Japanese cities that have sister city agreements. Over the past four years, we have held events to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship between North Vancouver and Chiba, and as a symbol of the sister city relationship between Richmond and Wakayama, we donated a totem pole, a symbol of Canada's Indigenous people, to Wakayama.
Next year, we are planning an event to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the friendship between New Westminster, Canada, and Moriguchi City in Osaka, which has the oldest sister city relationship between Canada and Japan.

The "I LOVE MY HOMETOWN" event, which we started in 2020, is co-organized with the "I LOVE MY HOMETOWN" Executive Committee, which was formed by the BC Prefectural Associations, and has so far showcased 10 Japanese cities via live stream. This is also a very enjoyable event that connects Japan and Canada, introducing Japanese tourist spots and letting people know the good things about Japan.

In addition, we connect Japan and Canada in a wide range of fields, including seminars on immigration to Canada, various support services for those newly establishing businesses in Canada from Japan, and introductions to Japanese culture for Canadians.

Our organization strives to be open to everyone, free from constraints, and always values diversity. We look forward to your participation.

Sammy Takahashi

Greetings from Sammy Takahashi, President

The Japan Canada Chamber of Commerce was founded in 2003 by five people, including the late Kazuko Komatsu, First President and honorary director and Saeko Tsuda, former President and honorary director.

We currently have fifteen directors who are actively involved in various activities. One of our primary missions is to connect Japan and Canada through business, culture, education, and tourism. We promote the sister city relationships between Canadian cities and their representatives as part of this mission. We took the initiative in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the sister city relationship between the cities of North Vancouver and Chiba in 2018. We sent a totem pole that symbolizes the First nation people in Canada to Wakayama in commemoration of the sister city relationship between Richmond and Wakayama.
Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of the sister city relationship between New Westminster and Moriguchi in Osaka. 

We started the OKUNI JIMAN (I LOVE MY HOMETOWN) events in 2020. We have introduced ten prefectures of Japan by connecting people from those prefectures here and back in Japan on a live stream. 

These are fun events that truly connect Japan and Canada by introducing some tourist attractions in each area.We also offer seminars on how to immigrate to Canada, services to start up a new business in Canada, and activities to familiarize Canadians with Japan and Japanese culture. 

We are a group of open-minded people with inclusion and diversity in mind. We want to welcome you on board.

Sammy Takahashi 

Mission of Members: To strive to expand our network of people worldwide with a spirit of tolerance and cooperation. To promote mutual enlightenment and assistance among members and strive for further stability and development of our business. To deepen our ties not only with the Japanese community but also with Canadian society as a whole and promote our business. To contribute to the local community voluntarily and strive to become good citizens.

The mission of The Japan-Canada Chamber of Commerce is to facilitate and promote business relations between Japanese and Canadian companies, and to encourage and recognize the activities of entrepreneurs, large and small, within the Japanese-Canadian community. They offer their members opportunities to learn and network within a supportive environment, and foster the highest standards of community leadership and cooperation. They believe that it is very important that Japanese companies operating in Canada participate in local events through local business groups in order to learn about government policies and plans for the future.