Pacific Gateway Mission Moves To Tokyo

By 250 News

Shirley Bond meets with reps from Mitsubishi Materials in Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan -  According to Transportation and Infrastructure Minister, Shirley Bond, the B.C. mission promoting the Pacific Gateway in Asia has once again been well-received -- this time in Japan.

Bond and representatives from the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, CN, CP, Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railway, and Vancouver International Airport met with shipping line executives and chemical and steel producers in Seoul, South Korea during the first part of their trip.

Now, the 'Pacific Gateway Alliance' is in Tokyo to meet with Canada's Ambassador and officials from a number of large Japanese companies that represent significant investors and shippers of B.C..  Minister Bond says their interests include increasing the volume of coal that moves through the Port of Vancouver, expansion of coal production from Canada and the opportunity to use biofuel from pine beetle wood.

The group has also met with Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which is interested in B.C.'s thermal coal and exploring wood pellets as an alternative to drive electricity production for the city.

Bond says, "Our meetings in Japan confirm that B.C. is seen as a good place to invest."  During a briefing, Canada's ambassador to Japan, Jonathan Fried, stressed the importance of long-term relationships with Japan.  In Japan, there are over 3,000 companies that have been in business for more than 300-years, and more than 200 that have been in existance for more than 500 years.

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