Canada-China Relations committee  Regarding Africa, I think it was in 1993 that the Japanese government started an initiative called TICAD. That stands for the Tokyo International Conference on African Development. We started the leaders' meetings between Japan and Africa—more than 50 countries—once every five years.

Canada-China Relations committee  May I say a final word?

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you is not strong enough to express my feelings towards this Canadian Parliament in supporting Canada-Japan relations and also our embassy here in Ottawa. I would say thank you very much. Arigato gozaimasu and merci beaucoup tonight.

Canada-China Relations committee  Douitashimashite.

Canada-China Relations committee  The short answer is yes. I see many reports about Japanese companies thinking about investing in Canada because of the nature of this country. You have a great trust in the Japanese people, and also a great potential for critical minerals. This is not just me saying this, but last week Bloomberg published a very interesting article about the ability to make the lithium-ion battery, and that Canada was considered a top country to produce this lithium-ion battery.

Canada-China Relations committee  Yes, Canada and Japan are responsible members of the G7 and the international forum, and we're also members of TPP. We share a lot. We share a common interest. There are so many needs down there, so to speak, in the global south countries. We can work together, and we do have the willingness and the resources here to help them out.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you very much. I certainly will.

Canada-China Relations committee  Wow. Those are very good final questions about CPTPP, my favourite subject. I think that CPTPP is a very important vehicle not only for free trade but also for addressing security matters, and Canada and Japan are leading the CPTPP. This year, 2024, Canada is the chair. We have three major targets for CPTPP this year.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chong. I'm so happy to hear that your lovely wife was a JET alumni. Kyoto must have been a beautiful place for her. I'm sure she has fond memories. Thank you very much. Actually, I have visited the Toyota factory in Cambridge too, and I was amazed. I'm not the best person to talk about the possibility of technological innovations and others.

Canada-China Relations committee  Thank you very much. For us, Taiwan is an extremely important partner and our dear friend. Also, the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is important. Japan has been working very hard to further deepen co-operation and exchange between Taiwan and Japan based on the basic position that is laid out in our history.

Canada-China Relations committee  People-to-people exchange is a very important pillar of the Indo-Pacific strategy. We do understand that in Canada the higher education institutions are very much respected when it comes to high tech, like artificial intelligence and quantum. More and more Japanese students are paying attention to these higher opportunities, especially postgraduate students.

Canada-China Relations committee  As long as they're soft.

Canada-China Relations committee  That is also another very important question. As you may know, we have an agency called the JICA. It's the Japanese agency for international development. We are very proud of it. It is one of the biggest agencies implementing official development assistance and economic co-operation.

Canada-China Relations committee  That's a very important question for these times. China is now the second-largest economy—with 1.4 billion people. Its influence is here and there. Every country is working hard to shape its policy towards China. We see the potential for co-operation and also challenges and concerns.

Canada-China Relations committee  That is a very tough question. I will give you the same answer I gave Mr. Kmiec. I will repeat that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are very important not only for the security of Japan but also for the stability of the international community as a whole. That has been Japan's consistent position for a long time.