Canadian Creative Industries Trade Mission to East Asia, June 2025
Under the Creative Export Strategy, the Department of Canadian Heritage (PCH), in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC) Trade Commissioner Service, is leading a creative industries trade mission to South Korea (June 1 to 5, 2025) and Japan (June 8 to 12, 2025). This mission follows a successful partnership with GAC on the Team Canada Trade Mission to South Korea in April 2024 as well as the Team Canada Trade Mission to Japan in October/November 2023.
This multi-sector trade mission is an opportunity for Canadian creative businesses and organizations with high export potential to take advantage of a government-led trade mission to increase their visibility and expand their network in the South Korean or Japanese markets.
During the mission, the delegation will meet and initiate business deals with key industry and government stakeholders as well as potential buyers, investors and/or partners.
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Mission overview
South Korea – First leg
Dates: Sunday, June 1, to Thursday, June 5, 2025
Location: Seoul and Busan
Delegation: up to 30 Canadian export-ready small and medium companies or not-for-profit organizations from the audiovisual, book publishing, interactive digital media, music and performing arts sectors; in addition, representatives of portfolio and provincial agencies as well as creative industry organizations and associations.
Japan – Second leg
Dates: Sunday, June 8, to Thursday, June 12, 2025
Location: Tokyo and Osaka
Delegation: up to 15 Canadian export-ready small and medium companies or not-for-profit organizations from the audiovisual and interactive digital media sectors; in addition, representatives of portfolio and provincial agencies as well as creative industry organizations and associations.
Business program elements
- Information sessions on the targeted markets
- Tailored business-to-business meetings
- Networking activities
- Site visits
Mission objectives
- Facilitate market entry and maximize export potential for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in the Canadian creative sector that are export-ready and demonstrate high potential
- Increase the visibility and profile of companies already established in the targeted markets and expand international business development opportunities
- Strengthen relationships with government counterparts in South Korea and/or Japan to showcase Canada as a partner of choice in the creative industries and promote the expertise and high quality of Canadian creative industries
Why South Korea
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea designated 2024-2025 as the Year of Cultural Exchanges between South Korea and Canada to mark 60 years of diplomatic relations. This trade mission will leverage the momentum created by this leader-level commitment.
- South Korea is a high -potential export market for Canada's creative industries:
- In 2021, South Korea was Canada's 10th largest creative export market with $96.7 million in cultural trade
- The audiovisual and interactive digital media sub-sectors generated the highest export revenues for Canada in South Korea, totaling $33.3 million in exports in 2021, representing over a third of Canada's total cultural exports to this market
- The performing arts generated $7.2 million, and design generated $3.4 million in revenues in that same year
- South Korea is a like-minded partner in the Indo-Pacific region, and the first country in that region with whom Canada established a free trade agreement in 2015.
- This mission will continue to build on a series of trade missions and events to South Korea, including a Canadian Heritage-led creative industries virtual trade mission delivered in March 2023, and the April 2024 Team Canada Trade Mission. Both of these missions confirmed the interest of the Canadian creative industries in the South Korean market and helped generate substantial business opportunities for Canadian companies and organizations.
Why Japan
- In 2021, Japan was Canada’s 14th largest cultural export market, with a notable increase in creative exports over the years ($58.1 million in cultural trade).
- The trade mission will continue to build business and people-to-people ties following the Team Canada Trade Mission to Japan, led by Global Affairs Canada in October/November 2023, which included a creative industries stream.
- Japan holds a critical role in Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy, being the exclusive G7 partner in the region.
- Canada and Japan are the two largest economies in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Since the agreement's implementation in December 2018, the economic partnership has deepened, presenting lucrative opportunities for collaborative ventures.
- The trade mission will include business programming on the margins of Expo 2025 Osaka to enhance the Canadian presence at this world-renowned international event. From April 13 to October 13, 2025, Canadian creativity and innovation will be showcased at the Expo, including at the Canada Pavilion.
Contact us
Should you have any questions, please contact the Canadian Heritage International Trade Operations team.
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