OTTAWA — Japan is eager to talk to Canada about moving forward on some important trade, energy and security projects, so it hopes Justin Trudeau will attend next month's G20 and APEC summits.
Kenjiro Monji, Japan's ambassador to Canada, says the two summits — talking place in Turkey and the Philippines the same week, starting Nov. 16 — would provide a good chance for Trudeau to meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a face-to-face conversation.
Monji tells The Canadian Press that Japan is especially keen to move forward on the Trans-Pacific Partnership — the massive 12-country Pacific Rim trade deal that covers 40 per cent of the global economy.
Trudeau said this week is he "very hopeful" he will attend those summits, but his first priority is getting a government up and running.
So far, Trudeau has committed to attending only one of the four major international gatherings taking place in the coming weeks — the Paris climate change summit in early December.