about
In the late 1980’s, Japan was Canada’s second largest trading partner and a major foreign investor in our country, was perceived as being one of the strongest and smartest industrial nations in the world, and was the world’s largest exporter of capital. The strengthening of commercial links between Canada and Japan was clearly a matter of considerable importance to Canada and its business, professional and academic communities.
Senior members of those communities concluded that there was a need to establish in Canada a permanent national organization which would enable senior representatives of Canadian companies, firms and academia to meet their counterparts on the Japanese side on a continuing basis to discuss matters of mutual interest. There followed various meetings and background papers, a study into all aspects of the matter and finally the founding of The Japan Society in October 1989.
The Society is a not-for-profit association which is managed by a small, cohesive, focussed Board of Directors and management team. The President and Chief Executive Officer oversees the day to day administration and activities of the Society. The Board of Directors is responsible for planning and implementing programmes, activities, events and initiatives that will be of benefit to the Society. In that regard, the Society provides members with opportunities:
- to discuss major economic, political and business issues with leading Canadian and Japanese authorities;
- to meet and establish relationships with senior executives, professionals and academics who are involved in business, consulting and teaching in each country; and
- to become identified with serious and informed efforts to strengthen the Canada-Japan relationship.
The types of programmes offered by the Society include: luncheon and dinner meetings with knowledgeable Canadian and Japanese business persons, academics and senior government representatives; seminars and conferences dealing with issues and initiatives of particular importance to members of the Society; orientations to introduce Japanese business customs and practices to Canadian business executives; and presentations of art exhibitions, films and various performing arts of Japan in Canada.
The Society is regularly in touch with numerous other organizations which provide support services to the Canada-Japan relationship, including the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (CCCJ), and also has ties with other associations, such as The Japan Society (New York), to ensure that it is in a position to bring interesting and informative programmes to Canadian business, professional and academic people interested in the Japan/Canada dynamic.
The founders of the Society, both Canadian and Japanese, believed that as Canada and Japan became more interdependent and their relationship became more complex, the Society would assume an increasingly important role in meeting the challenges which lay ahead and in promoting and enhancing understanding between our two nations. As we anticipate our twentieth anniversary of operations, our objective is to continue to fulfill that mandate for the benefit of both Canada and Japan.
board of directors
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Donald W. Campbell - Director Don joined the private sector in 2000 and was Group President of CAE Inc. from 2000 to 2007. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Toyota Canada Inc., Canfor Pulp, Mecachrome International Inc., Exeltech Inc. and the Perimeter Institute. He serves on the Council of International Advisors to the Asia Society, New York. In addition, Don is a Senior Strategy Advisor at Davis LLP, a law firm with offices across Canada and in Tokyo, Japan. In 2003, Don was appointed by the Prime Minister as the Canadian co-chairman of the Canada-Japan Forum, an external advisory group established by the governments of Japan and Canada to provide advice and to promote the bilateral relationship between the two countries. He is a graduate of Laurier University (Hon. B.A. Economics and Political Science) and holds Honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Ottawa, Carleton University and Laurier University. He received the Outstanding Achievement Award of the Public Service of Canada from the Governor General and the Prime Minister in 1999. |
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Ben Ciprietti - President Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Ben is a graduate of McMaster University and completed Advanced Management Studies at The Banff School of Advanced Management and the Sloan Business School. He worked at Dofasco Inc. throughout his initial career (37 years) and, in his last assignment as Vice President - Planning, was responsible for the preparation and recommendation of its strategic direction, corporate development and international business activities. He was also Chairman and President of DNN Corporation, a galvanizing line Joint Venture with NKK Corporation of Japan and National Steel of the United States. Ben has been involved in many community activities, including being President of The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and President of The Hamilton Foundation. |
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David Worts - Director From 1975 to 1981, David was a project manager with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Toronto. In 1981, he started Context Design as an exhibit design consultant - clients included JETRO, the Japan Vacuum Bottle Association and artmagazine. In 1984, David joined the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association of Canada as General Manager, and became Executive Director and Corporate Secretary in 1992, a position he still holds. Associations: The Japan Society, Society of Automotive Analysts, Huron Sussex Residents Organization, Muskoka Lakes Association David and his wife Susan have two children and one grandson, and continue to live in Toronto. |
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John W. Craig - Chairperson John has managed the firm’s Japanese practice for over twenty-five years. Since 1981, he has traveled on numerous business and speaking trips to Japan, gaining knowledge of culture and practices, and establishing longstanding relationships. He has focused his efforts on assisting many Japanese companies investing in Canada, including major companies in the automotive and trading sectors. Throughout his practice, John has been a director of many business corporations, including numerous Canadian subsidiaries of Japanese, American and European companies. He is currently on the board of directors of: J.P. Kenny Canada Limited; Metal One Canada Corporation; Nifast Canada Corporation; O. R. C. Canada Inc.; Oiles Canada Corporation; Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation of Canada; and Steam Whistle Brewing Inc. He is also a Past President (2000-2001) of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, an international association of business and commercial lawyers who have an interest in Asia and the Pacific region. A recipient of the Ontario Medal For Good Citizenship in 1987, John also received a prestigious and rare professional accolade in 2006 from Mr. Tara Aso, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, “for his invaluable contribution to the promotion of mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and Canada”. |