Blog: Standing Out Among States
Standing Out Among States
September 25, 2011
The hallways and lobby areas of the hotel were buzzing with people today as the 43rd Annual Joint Meeting of the Japan - Midwest Association got underway (JMWA). This forced us to switch gears a little from all the factory plant touring we did yesterday.
I started the conference by meeting a few of my Japanese and American colleagues.
On the Japanese side Governor Kada, of Shiga Prefecture; Governor Morita, Chiba Prefecture; Governor Ueda, Saitama Prefecture; Governor Yokouchi, Yamanashi Prefecture; and the Chair of the JMWA, Yuzaburo Mogi were all present.
Along with me, representatives on the American side were Former Governor James Thompson, Illinois; Governor Terry Branstad, Iowa; and Governor Mark Dayton, Minnesota.
It is always helpful to sit down with your colleagues and to hear both the positive and negative issues affecting their area. Even though we may be miles apart we all tend to express the same concern of creating more jobs for our citizens.
I always enjoy these moments when I get to brag on our state a little. Not all of my American counterparts can say their state is fiscally and economically sound. This is something I hope the Japanese pick up on. I want Hoosiers to be proud of their state and to know we’re over here spreading the good word of what you’re doing to make us more appealing to our friends around the world.
After our lengthy meeting and getting to know one another, we all headed upstairs for a welcome reception. There I met many Japanese business leaders and shared the story of Indiana’s business-friendly environment. Companies already doing business in Indiana such as Toyota, Honda, Subaru, and our very own Dow Agro Sciences are well aware of Indiana’s advantage.
The typhoon that hit earlier this week forced me to cancel my trip to Kikkoman Soy Sauce Company. However, CEO Kazuo Shimizu was at the reception tonight, and I was able to have an excellent conversation with him about the status of their company.
Needless to say the conference got off to a great start. People all over the world know what’s going on in Indiana. So, be proud to be a Hoosier. I sure am.
P.S. the President of the Philippines is currently staying at our hotel.
Day 3 Photos
Stay Connected
