Saskatchewan Strengthens Economic Ties with Japan Signing New Memorandum of Cooperation

Released on April 24, 2023

Today, the Government of Saskatchewan signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the President of Japan Overseas Infrastructure Investment Corporation (JOIN).  

"This marks a positive step forward for Saskatchewan's relationship with Japan," Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said. "We have key resources that the world needs, and this is proof that international investors are interested in what we have to offer. The more investments made in our province, the more jobs and economic growth we can look forward to."

Minister Harrison met with JOIN during the recent mission to Japan in February of 2023. This MOC is an outcome of those meetings. The goal of the MOC encourages collaboration on how JOIN can support infrastructure investment with a focus on sector priorities that include helium development. It's also an opportunity to showcase the province's global leadership in sustainable mining practices.

“We are pleased to sign this MOC with the government of Saskatchewan today,” JOIN President and CEO Tatsuhiko Takesada said. “We look forward to further strengthening our partnership with Saskatchewan and working together to encourage Japanese companies to participate in investment opportunities related to transport and urban development infrastructure projects in Saskatchewan from the upstream stage.”

The provincial growth plan calls for increasing the number of markets where Saskatchewan exports over $1 billion. Japan has been a key partner in achieving this goal as it is one of the province's largest export markets. Last year, over $1.2 billion in goods was exported to the country, the majority being agri-food products.

The Government of Saskatchewan established its Japan office in 2021. This office focuses on growing exports, attracting investment and strengthening relationships with partners.

Recently the province has seen impressive outcomes in research and development between Saskatchewan and Japan. In 2022, the Japan Organization for Metal and Energy Security announced further investments into a joint research agreement with the Petroleum Technology Research Centre. Saskatchewan-based Prairie Clean Energy also signed an MOU with Renova Inc., Japan's largest renewable energy developer, to supply thousands of tonnes of biomass.

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