Feb 15, 2025
Buying Canadian in Japan
The orange glow from across the Pacific Ocean is getting brighter and frankly more ominous for the international order. It’s threatening my home country, Canada, with the looming threat of broad US tariffs on Canadian products. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged thinking tactically and strategically, and citizens are responding. Grass-roots movements to buy Canadian products and turning down visits to the US are building.
Winter Olympics mitts my family sent me in 2010
The tiny Canadian influence in Japan
Like American citizen JTsu who identifies ways to fight to preserve institutions in the US, I’m looking at how to rally with my home country. Canadians in Japan are a tiny minority of the foreign population, just shy of 10,000. There are six times as many American citizens in Japan. The economic influence is small but there are strong economic and cultural ties. Though Japan is the third largest trade partner for Canada, the volume is not huge at 2.1% of Canada’s exports.
Buying Canadian in Japan
Canadians are turning their backs on US products and travel and the economic impact is starting to show. In solidarity with my fellow citizens, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for Canadian products available where I live but it's challenging. A lot of things we consume in Japan are produced in Canada but it’s not obvious. For example, the french fries you order with your burger are likely produced by Canadian company McCain, Japan’s largest supplier. You can get the product at Japan's Costco stores, too. For carnivores, pork products from two Canadian suppliers appear in supermarkets here. And when you kick back in the evening with a mass-produced Japanese beer, you’re probably drinking a brew with imported malt, hops, and barley sourced from Canada.
I don’t have the yen for it, but if you do you could splurge on Canada Goose or a stay at The Four Seasons, both Canadian-based. I’m simply checking labels on supermarket and convenience store purchases to see what’s in stock. So far, I’ve picked up Harwood Canadian Whisky Highballs and Dare brand maple sandwich creme cookies. I'm applying my yen to domestic products, too, as always.
Belx Supermarket stocking cookies - they contract with Dare in Canada
These are only early days, but it looks like other countries and regions are in the crosshairs for tariffs from the orange administration.
Are you changing your shopping habits in response to the abrupt...ehem...changes happening in the US? Are you keeping an eye on the possible effects here in Japan?
2 Comments
genkidesu
on Feb 15
I've been keeping a keen eye on this in the media and I'm so proud of your fellow Canadians for really doing what they can in the face of the tariff threats. Most of what I read about it is people aghast that the U.S. could do this to such a friendly neighbor who has always had their back. Feels like he has his sights on just about everywhere, though, like you mentioned. It's an odd approach in a world that is ever-global...unless he wants to shut himself off à la North Korea.
TonetoEdo
on Feb 15
@genkidesu Thanks for your kind words about the Canuck response to the looming trade war. Please keep in mind that I'm not anti-American people here. A lot of my relatives and friends are Americans or American-Canadian dual citizens. The Brookings Institute looks at the seven pillars of democracy https://www.brookings.edu/articles/dangerous-cracks-in-us-democracy-pillars/ Essentially a warning about the US. But the bigger they are, the harder they fall...