Canadian Minister of Natural Resources Concludes Visit to Japan

Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, concluded his successful economic mission to Japan today, where he met with government officials and industry leaders to strengthen investment, innovation and partnerships with Canada in the natural resource sectors.

His visit supports the Harper Government’s priority to increase opportunities for the export of Canadian energy, with a specific focus on liquefied natural gas, of which Japan is the world’s largest importer.

“The Harper Government recognizes that Canadian exports to Japan are vital to Canada’s future prosperity. We continue to achieve tremendous progress in trade, investment and scientific innovation,” said Minister Oliver. “Our Government is aggressively pursuing agreements with countries in the Asia–Pacific region to give Canadian businesses an opportunity to compete in the fastest-growing region in the world.”

Over the last two days, Minister Oliver attended the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Producer-Consumer Conference and met with Japanese investors, business leaders and government officials. At the conference, Minister Oliver addressed approximately 500 delegates regarding Canada’s vast reserves of natural gas and its capacity to become a major exporter of liquefied natural gas. The Minister promoted Canada as an ideal destination for further Japanese investment, including:

• Meeting with Minister Edano, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, to strengthen the energy relationship between the two countries. They discussed the Harper Government’s plan for Responsible Resource Development and its support for the diversification of energy exports to Japan, in particular liquefied natural gas from Canada’s West Coast;
• Meeting with Minister Gunji, Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, to promote Canadian wood exports and expertise in wood frame construction;
• Participating in a roundtable with Japanese energy experts to discuss Japan’s energy future and promote Canada’s LNG export potential; and
• Presenting a keynote address to Japanese investors to promote Canada’s world leading investment environment and outline the Harper Government’s plan for Responsible Resource Development.

During his visit, Minister Oliver also witnessed the signing of a declaration of intent with the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology on cooperation in the field of geodynamics. This agreement aims to further the advancement of earthquake and tsunami early warning systems. He also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Japan Coal that will advance cooperation between the two countries in clean coal technologies and carbon capture and storage.

“Our Government is committed to an ambitious trade plan that benefits all Canadians,” said Minister Oliver. “As you know, the natural resource sectors directly employ 800,000 Canadians and drives almost 20 percent of our economic activity. We will continue to focus on what matters to Canadians — jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.”

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LNG World News Staff, September 19, 2012; Image: nrcan.gc.ca