The Department of Canadian Heritage and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) have announced a large-scale trade mission to Japan for a raft of industries in Canada, including the cultural sector.

The mission, announced Friday (June 30), will take place from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, and includes visits to Osaka and Tokyo, with a potential third location to be determined, according to a joint communication from Canadian Heritage and GAC. It also noted that the mission serves as the first time the two organizations have partnered as part of Team Canada.

Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, will lead the mission. Other sectors eligible to attend include consumer products, information and communications tech, aerospace, agriculture, forestry, infrastructure, life sciences, mining, automotive, clean technologies, and industrial machinery.

Canadian Heritage is responsible for the “dedicated components of the creative industries within the overall Team Canada,” including business-to-business meetings. It will also assess and select mission participants.

Eligible companies must be “export-ready” and have demonstrated potential for success in the Japanese market, with priority given to companies owned by entrepreneurs who identify as women, Indigenous, Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQI+ and/or youth. The deadline to apply is July 31.

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