Visit to Canada of His Excellency Tadamori Oshima, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan

On May 2 to 3 2016, His Excellency Tadamori Oshima, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan visited Ottawa at the invitation of the Honourable Geoff Regan, P.C., M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons. He was accompanied by Mr. Jun Niimi, Director General, International Affairs Department, Mr. Nobuhiko Tsukiyama, Deputy Director General, Proceedings Department, Mr. Kengo Nakai, Secretary to the Speaker, Mr. Takashi Koseki, Assistant Director, Secretarial Division and Mr. Akira Nakajima, Assistant Director, International Affairs Department. His Excellency Kenjiro Monji, Ambassador of Japan to Canada, and Ms. Mikiko Masuda Kondo, First Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Canada, also accompanied the delegation during their stay.

In Ottawa, the delegation held meetings with:

• The Honourable George J. Furey, Q.C., Speaker of the Senate;
• The Honourable Geoff Regan, P.C., M.P., Speaker of the House of Commons;
• Executive Members of the Canada-Japan Inter-Parliamentary Group;
• Mr. Charles Robert, Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments; and
• Mr. Marc Bosc, Acting Clerk of the House of Commons.

The members of the delegation also attended Question Period in the House of Commons and had a tour of the Library and Archives Canada.

During his visit to Ottawa, Speaker Oshima expressed his gratitude for the numerous letters of sympathy sent from Canadians following the April 16, 2016 earthquake in the Kumamoto region. Discussions took place with regards to the 42nd G7 Summit in May, and the meetings of the Speakers of the Lower Houses of the G7 in September, as Japan holds the 2016 G7 chairmanship. The meetings also served to discuss the Canadian Parliamentary System.