Governor Roy Cooper will lead a North Carolina delegation to Japan from October 11 – 15 to the annual Southeastern United States/Japan (SEUS/Japan) Economic Development Conference in Tokyo to recruit industry and meet with business leaders and others.
“Japan is a highly valued economic partner for our state and it’s important to take this opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Japanese leaders and employers while laying the groundwork for our SEUS/Japan Economic Development Conference in Charlotte next year,” said Governor Cooper. “On this trip, I will recruit new businesses with better paying jobs for North Carolina, while having discussions with and personally encouraging industry leaders to attend our conference next year so they can see for themselves what our great state of North Carolina has to offer.”
SEUS/Japan is the premier economic development partnership between the eight states in the Southeastern United States and Japan, one of the nation’s largest trading partners and home to 225 companies with large presences in North Carolina. Nearly 30,000 North Carolinians go to work at Japanese-owned companies, with several thousand more scheduled to start in the next five years. In recent years, companies including Toyota, HondaJet and Fujifilm have announced significant investments in North Carolina communities.
The Governor’s trip comes in advance of next year’s SEUS/Japan Conference in Charlotte, a milestone event that will showcase North Carolina’s economy and build greater ties between the state and Japan. Next week, Gov. Cooper will travel with state officials including Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina Executive Director Chris Chung, and other economic development leaders. The delegation will meet with Japanese business leaders and government officials to strengthen relationships and recruit new jobs to North Carolina.
Since taking office, Gov. Cooper’s sustained engagement with Japanese leaders and employers has paid dividends for North Carolina’s economy. From his trip to Tokyo in 2017 to speaking at a reception at the Japanese Ambassador’s residence in May, Gov. Cooper has made it a priority to recruit good-paying jobs from Japanese companies in high-growth industries like aerospace, electric vehicles and biotech.
Throughout the trip, Gov. Cooper will remain in regular contact throughout the day with his Cabinet Secretaries and staff in North Carolina and continue to direct state business.
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