Joint statement: The 16th Japan- Canada Joint Committee Meeting on Cooperation in Science and Technology

May 16, 2024

The 16th Japan-Canada Joint Committee Meeting (JCJC) on Cooperation in Science and Technology took place in Tokyo on May 15, 2024.

1. The Joint Committee Meeting was co-chaired by Ms. KAJI Misako, Ambassador for Science and Technology Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, and Ms. Sara Wilshaw, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Trade Commissioner at Global Affairs Canada. H.E. YAMANOUCHI Kanji, Japan’s Ambassador to Canada, and Mr. Louis-Pierre Émond, Minister (Commercial) of the Embassy of Canada, both provided opening remarks to committee members. A number of representatives from the relevant ministries, agencies, research institutions and universities in both Japan and Canada participated in this hybrid meeting.
2. The meeting provided an opportunity to share information on recent developments concerning national policies on science, technology and innovation (STI), discuss funding opportunities and researcher mobility, mechanisms for co-innovation, Open Science and research security / integrity and highlight current and future bilateral initiatives in various fields : energy research, Arctic research, aerospace, health-related technologies, semiconductors, nanotechnology, physics R&D, quantum, artificial intelligence (AI) and marine/ocean research.
3. Japan and Canada have enjoyed a close STI partnership further enhanced following the 1986 Agreement between the Government of Japan and the Government of Canada on Cooperation in Science and Technology. Under the terms of the Agreement, the JCJC meets in principle every 2 years to review ongoing collaborations between Japanese and Canadian researchers and innovators.