Toronto Lawyer Decorated by the Emperor of Japan
A veteran Toronto lawyer who has devoted much of his career to strengthening ties between Canada and Japan has been named a recipient of a decoration from His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. A special conferment ceremony will be held at the official residence of Consul-General of Japan Eiji Yamamoto on Nov. 25 for John W. Craig, currently Counsel for the law firm Davis LLP, who has been awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Golden Rays with Neck Ribbon.
Formerly a Partner with McMillan LLP, Mr. Craig has provided legal counsel and advice to dozens of Japanese companies in relation to their investments in Ontario, particularly those establishing their subsidiary corporations in the province. Many members of the Toronto Japanese Association of Commerce and Industry (Shokokai), including automakers such as Toyota and Honda, have benefited immensely from Mr. Craig’s work.
He has assisted not only large multinational corporations but also local Japanese restaurants. The Japanese Restaurant Association of Canada (JRAC) turned to Mr. Craig for aid in 2005 when Ontario health officials proposed regulations that would require flash freezing of fish served in restaurants, effectively prohibiting the sale of fresh sushi and sashimi. Mr. Craig was Counsel also to the Japan Society for 20 years, and now acts as its Chair. He has also served as Vice Chair of the Sakura Project, which since 2001 has planted close to 3000 Japanese flowering cherry trees (Sakura) across Ontario as a symbol of friendship between Japan and Canada. He also has been legal counsel to the Consulate-General of Japan since 1991.
The Consulate-General of Japan would like to take this opportunity to extend sincere congratulations to Mr. Craig.