Japan Wood Truss Council Turns Twenty-Three
The Japan Wood Truss Council (JWTC) held its 23rd annual general meeting and reception on June 24th, 2024, at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, with forty-five attendees. This year, a new chairperson, Mr. Shiro Fujita, took the reins. Mr. Fujita, who became the president of Prime Truss in June, is the fifth chairperson of the organization since its establishment on November 27, 2001. It was also nice to see and welcome the JWTC’s first chairperson, Mr. Yoshihiro Takemura, who is now 89 years old. Mr. Takemura is a former long-term president of Prime Truss and one of the original pioneers of the nail plate truss business in Japan, helping to form this organization.
At the beginning of the reception, Louis-Pierre Émond, Minister (Commercial) at the Embassy of Canada in Japan, welcomed the guests and thanked them for their patronage. COFI/Canada Wood’s Managing Director, Shawn Lawlor, provided a toast outlining our mutually beneficial and important relationship.
COFI was a founding member of the JWTC and has since proactively collaborated with the member companies of this organization to expand nail plate truss use beyond traditional wood markets into the growing non-residential and commercial buildings market segment. COFI/CW chairs the organization’s Promotion & Awareness Committee and devotes market development funds and staff resources to educate and advocate for nail plate truss use in Japan. This is done by updating and maintaining JWTC’s literature and website, promoting truss use at two-by-four technical seminars, through social media advertising, and jointly developing promotional videos and project case studies of leading wooden buildings utilizing nail plate roof and floor trusses in their construction.
We are truly proud to see how this organization has grown and expanded from its infancy over the years, and we look forward to further collaborating with all of you to continue expanding the nail plate truss business in Japan, a win-win for all.
