A delegation of business and political leaders from North Carolina attended the Southeast U.S./Japan Association meeting in Tokyo to discuss the state’s partnership and economic development opportunities with Japanese businesses and the country.
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. The 2024 SEUS/Japan Conference will be held in Charlotte, a milestone event that will showcase the state’s economy and build greater ties between North Carolina and Japan. The delegation held productive meetings with major business leaders and worked to recruit more good-paying jobs.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to strengthen our economic partnership with companies in Japan and engage in meaningful discussions with several major business leaders and employers,” said Governor Cooper. “We hope to announce more good news for the people and economy of North Carolina in the weeks and months to come.”
The governor was joined by North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders and Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina Chair Chris Chung. Charlotte Regional Business Alliance Chief Business Recruitment Officer Danny Chavez, along with other economic development leaders from across the state, were part of the largest delegation North Carolina has ever brought to a Tokyo meeting.
“It was an incredible experience to represent the Southeastern United States in Tokyo this past week,“ Chavez said. “Japan is an increasingly important piece of our foreign direct investment strategy, and the opportunity to build relationships through SEUS Japan was a valuable and important one. The Charlotte Region is open for business and we look forward to hosting the delegation in Charlotte next year.
More than 27,000 North Carolinians work at a Japanese-owned company, demonstrating the value and increasing importance of the partnership. The state’s delegation met with many business leaders in Japan, including the president of Toyota Motor Corporation, the CEO of Bridgestone Global, and the president and CEO of Sumitomo Forestry, which has a presence in Charlotte and Randolph County.
