Pence, Smith to Pitch Hoosier Businesses to Japan
The announcement Thursday morning is set to take place at Sensory Technologies in Indianapolis.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGovernor Mike Pence has announced a trade mission next month to Japan. It will be his second economic development visit to the Asian nation and seventh overall. The governor’s office says more than 240 Japanese companies now have operations in Indiana.
More than 46,000 Hoosiers are employed by those companies and the state’s per capital investment by Japanese companies is the highest in the country.
The visit will include stops in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nagoya and take place between September 11 and September 18. During the mission, Pence and his delegation will meet with leaders at companies with Indiana connections, including Honda, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Subaru. He is also slated to attend the Japan-U.S. Midwest Conference, which will include a reception for business partners and potential investors. Two months ago, Japan-based Chiyoda Manufacturing Corp. detailed U.S. headquarters expansion plans for its facility in Greencastle, which could bring 300 jobs to the state.
"Indiana’s bond with Japan goes back nearly 100 years," said Pence. "Our relationship with Japan has grown stronger, with Japanese companies able to leverage Indiana’s favorable business climate, convenient location and strong workforce."
Japan is one of the state’s top trading partners, exporting $1.6 billion in goods per year to Japan.
Pence last visited Japan in 2013. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has an office in Tokyo. The governor will be joined on the mission, which will be funded by private donations to the IEDC Foundation, by First Lady Karen Pence and Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith.
Pence’s most recent economic development mission was to China in May.