Canada and Japan have signed a new strategic partnership agreement aimed at increasing cooperation on defence, energy, trade and technology.
Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Friday, outlining a long list of areas where the two countries plan to deepen cooperation in a range of areas from cyber policy to Arctic security and climate change.
“We have a lot in common and we are enriched by each other’s cultures, perspectives and histories,” Carney said at a joint media event where both leaders made statements but took no questions.
“It’s a strong foundation upon which we can build even better, more prosperous, more ambitious.”
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Earning laughter and applause from Takaichi by making some remarks in Japanese, Carney touted the two countries’ close economic and security partnerships, including $40 billion in two-way trade and joint efforts to patrol the Pacific.
“We will do more, but we are willing to do more,” he said.
Carney said a Team Canada trade mission will travel to Japan “in the next few months.”
Strategic partnership agreements include closer cooperation in international emergency response, joint Coast Guard exercises and tackling illegal fishing in the North Pacific.
In trade, both countries said they would instruct officials to “identify immediate investment opportunities, including through pension funds” and exchange trade delegations.
They agreed to expand trade when it comes to energy projects, including liquefied natural gas, and work closely on critical minerals, including securing reliable supplies, among other measures.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
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