The Japanese ambassador to Canada has expressed hope Ottawa will join the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework shortly, as the resource-rich country's participation will further integrate it into the Indo-Pacific region.

Canada's potential membership in IPEF "is a positive development and as a resource-rich country it will help strengthen the supply chain" among members, the ambassador, Kanji Yamanouchi, said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.

The 14-country framework was launched in May 2022 as a counterweight to China's economic expansion. As the United States, Japan and many other members back Canada's admission, Ottawa is expected to join as soon as later this year.

Canada's "Indo-Pacific Strategy" positions China as "an increasingly disruptive global power."

On the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact, in which Japan, Canada and other countries participate, Yamanouchi, 65, said, "The approval of Britain to join the TPP last July was a major step forward."

Canada holds the rotating chair in the partnership this year and China, Taiwan and Ukraine have applied to join. The United States withdrew from the pact in 2017 and is advocating IPEF, which does not involve market access.

"The focus will be on how to consider the next expansion and whether to review the agreement to further promote trade and investment," said Yamanouchi, who formerly served as consul general in New York.

On the tourism front, Yamanouchi said, "We are very much looking forward to increased traffic between Japan and Canada."

Low-cost career Zipair Tokyo, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, launched flights between Narita, east of Tokyo, and Vancouver on Wednesday. Air Canada will operate seasonal direct flights between Osaka and Vancouver from May 1, and Osaka and Toronto from June 17.

The number of visitors from Canada to Japan in 2023 increased 13.5 percent from the pre-COVID pandemic level of 2019 to 425,900, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

==Kyodo

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