“Walk in Canada, Talk on Japan” Comes to Toronto

The Walk in Canada, Talk on Japan delegation was in Toronto from Oct. 29 to 31. The delegation this year was led by His Excellency Kenjiro Monji, former Ambassador of Japan to Canada, and consisted of: Keita Kakehashi, HR Director, Nippon Sheet Glass Co. Ltd.; Ms. Miho Kurasaki, Head of Japan and Korea Research, Bloomberg NEF; Mr. Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Senior Fellow, Japan Institute of International Affairs; and Ms. Saki Matsunaka, a second-year student at Fukui University School of Medical Sciences. The delegation gave presentations and held Q&A’s at the Canadian International Council, the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, York University’s Schulich School of Business, Canadian Forces College, Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Japan Society. Ambassador Monji spoke on Japan’s soft power, while Mr. Kakehashi talked about Japan’s business culture. Ms. Kurosaki spoke on Japan’s energy policies, while Mr. Miller presented on Japan’s security issues. Ms. Matsunaka gave a talk on her hometown of Tsuruga City in Fukui Prefecture, known as “the city of humanity”. The delegation also visited Her Worship Mayor Bonnie Crombie of Mississauga, as well as The Honourable Ernie Hardeman, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, who had visited Japan in October.

The Walk in Canada, Talk on Japan program aims to deepen interest and understanding of Japan in Canada in such fields as politics, economy, culture and society, and develop Japan-Canada relations through person-to-person interaction. This was the third Walk in Canada, Talk on Japan visit to Toronto.