Governor to Make Fourth Trip to Japan

Press Release

Governor to make fourth trip to Japan

Governor Mitch Daniels will meet with officials from more than a dozen Japanese companies when he travels to Japan for the fourth time the week of June 9.

"From my business experience, persistence and consistency are very important, maybe more so in Japan. We have several ongoing active conversations with Japanese companies that we believe could lead to Hoosier jobs. And, as always, it is good practice to thank our customers," said Daniels.

Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi and Sony are among the companies the governor will meet with while in Tokyo and Nagoya. He will depart on June 9 and will return to Indiana on Saturday, June 14.

Secretary of Commerce and CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) Nate Feltman, Executive Vice President and General Counsel Chad Sweeney and Director of International Development Steve Akard will arrive in Japan two days ahead of the governor and conduct business meetings. Three IEDC sponsors of the trip, Vectren Corporation, ProLiance Energy and Duke Energy, will send representatives who will meet with their clients while in the country. No state delegation will accompany the governor and IEDC on this trip.

Daniels will arrive in Japan the evening of June 10. The following day he will pay a courtesy call to Nippon Steel Corporation, meet with Fujio Cho, chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation as well as with leaders of Mitsui Mining and Smelting Company, Mitsubishi Corporation and Fuji Heavy Industries.

On June 12, the governor will visit Sony Corporation, meet with Honda President and CEO Takeo Fukui and finish the day with a dinner meeting with KYB Corporation.

The final day of business, June 13, the governor and IEDC officials will travel to Nagoya for several courtesy and job-prospecting calls. The group will also host a Friends of Indiana reception in the city.

Since 2005, Japanese companies have invested nearly $1.5 billion in Indiana, creating nearly 5,500 new jobs. More than 220 Japanese companies operate in Indiana. Following the governor's 2007 trip to Japan, Toyota Boshoku Corporation made the decision to locate a new seat frame production and assembly facility in Princeton, creating more than 300 jobs.

After trips to Japan and Taiwan in 2005 and 2006, Indiana became home to a new Toyota plant in Lafayette, a new Honda plant in Greensburg that will open this fall and employ about 2,000 people and suppliers to those companies, such as TS Tech and Tomasco. Indiana is first in North America in foreign investment for manufacturing jobs, according to a 2007 study from IBM.

Those who are traveling to Japan are:

Governor Mitch Daniels

Nate Feltman, IEDC

Chad Sweeney, IEDC

Steve Akard, IEDC

Kai Chuck, IEDC

Ben Ledo, Governor's Office

Bill Doty, Vectren Corporation

Kyle Hupfer, ProLiance Energy

Marie-Christine Pence, Duke Energy

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