The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Canadian companies have struck more than $1.7-billion in commercial deals in Japan as a part of the Team Canada trade mission. The Globe's Sophia Bertuzzi writes that Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu witnessed the signing of 14 agreements on Thursday. The trade mission was the largest to the Indo-Pacific region since the government launched its trade diversification strategy in the continent. The trade visit comes on the heels of a new Canada-Japan Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement (ETTA), which came into force last week and establishes a framework to facilitate the transfer of defence equipment and technology. The moves are part of broader efforts by Ottawa to diversify and strengthen trade and security co-operation with overseas allies. The mission, led by Mr. Sidhu, brought more than 300 delegates from 175 Canadian organizations to deepen existing relationships and pursue new partnerships. Tokyo-headquartered Mitsubishi selected Canadian technology company MDA Space to support defence satellite communications for Japan's Ministry of Defence. BlackBerry signed a deal with Japan's Astemo to provide software for next-generation vehicles.