Prime Minister Carney forges new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Japan across defence, energy, trade, and technology

Canada is focused on what we can control – strengthening our economy at home and diversifying our partnerships abroad, including in the Indo-Pacific. Japan is an over $5.5 trillion market, the world’s fourth-largest economy, and Canada’s fourth-largest source of foreign direct investment – with nearly $40 billion in bilateral trade. Canadian businesses in Japan are leaders in financial services, forestry, and automotive sectors, and 70% of the cars manufactured in Canada are made by Japanese companies – supporting thousands of high-quality careers for Canadian workers.

In a more dangerous and uncertain world, strengthening this relationship presents enormous opportunities for greater security, stability, and prosperity for both our peoples.

Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, travelled to Tokyo, where he met with Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. Following their meeting, the leaders released a joint statement and announced an ambitious new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Canada and Japan across defence, energy, critical minerals, trade, and technology. This partnership will reinforce collaboration between our two countries, attract more capital into Canada, and give greater depth and opportunities to our growing relationship.

Canada and Japan share a robust defence and security partnership, spanning the Canadian Armed Forces’ Operation NEON in the Indo-Pacific, joint and multilateral exercises with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, cooperation on cybersecurity and emerging threats, and a shared commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine. To bolster our defence and security relationship and build up our defence industrial cooperation, the leaders announced:

To build on and expand their strong trade ties, Canada and Japan will:

To bolster energy security and leverage Canada and Japan’s complementarity in supply, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Takaichi committed to:

Canada and Japan are both leaders in advanced technology and trusted partners in the responsible development of AI, manufacturing, and research and development (R&D). To reinforce this relationship, the two countries will:

In addition to these efforts, Canada and Japan will increase Arctic scientific and technological cooperation as well as joint efforts on climate change and environmental observation. To that end, the leaders welcomed the signing of a bilateral MOC to conduct joint scientific activities in fisheries and marine research, including stock assessment, climate and ecosystem science, advanced marine technologies, and researcher exchanges to support sustainable resource management.

In Tokyo, the Prime Minister will meet with the leaders of major Japanese firms across automotive, advanced manufacturing, clean and conventional energy, infrastructure, and technologies. He will position Canada as a reliable trade partner and a competitive destination for new investments.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Japan follows his latest engagements in India, where Canada secured over $5 billion in commercial agreements, and in Australia, where Canada elevated the bilateral partnership in critical minerals, defence, and AI and secured up to $10 billion in investment commitments. By re-engaging with global giants and deepening our partnerships with our closest allies, Canada is creating high-paying careers at home, diversifying our trade, attracting massive investment, and building a stronger, more sovereign, and more resilient Canadian economy.

“Japan is a trusted partner and a global leader in innovation, technology, and advanced manufacturing. Together, we are strengthening our economic security, securing resilient supply chains in critical minerals and clean energy, and deepening security and defence cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. By expanding and modernising our partnership, we are creating long-term opportunities for our workers and building a more secure and resilient future for both countries.”

The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada