Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cemented economic links and cultural amity with North Carolina on Friday, following up time in Washington during his official U.S. visit by checking up on benchmark Japanese companies building in the ninth-most populous state and later planning to speak with students.
Quick Read
- Economic and Cultural Engagement: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited North Carolina, emphasizing the strong economic ties and cultural connections between Japan and the U.S.
- Historic Luncheon: Kishida had lunch at the governor’s mansion in Raleigh, marking the first visit by a foreign head of state to this location since records began in 1891.
- Investment and Employment: Over 200 Japanese companies operate in North Carolina, employing more than 30,000 people. Recent investments include Fujifilm’s $1.2 billion in its biopharmaceutical plant and Toyota’s upcoming electric and hybrid battery plant expected to employ over 5,000 workers.
- Academic and Cultural Visits: Kishida and his delegation visited significant industrial sites like Honda Aircraft Co. and Toyota’s construction site. The visit will conclude at North Carolina State University to engage with students and highlight educational exchanges.
- Global and Local Focus: While Kishida’s U.S. visit initially focused on global security issues in Washington, D.C., his stop in North Carolina highlighted the broader scope of Japan-U.S. relations extending beyond politics to substantial economic and cultural partnerships.
- Positive Outlook: Local academics and officials, including Japanese studies lecturer Chiaki Takagi, view Kishida’s visit as a promising sign for future collaborations and cultural exchanges between Japan and North Carolina.
The Associated Press has the story:
North Carolina welcomes Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Newslooks- RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) —
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida cemented economic links and cultural amity with North Carolina on Friday, following up time in Washington during his official U.S. visit by checking up on benchmark Japanese companies building in the ninth-most populous state and later planning to speak with students.
In between, Kishida lunched at the governor’s mansion in Raleigh, a historic first for the head of a foreign country in the Tar Heel state. Japan is North Carolina’s largest source of foreign direct investment, where over 200 Japanese companies have now set up shop, employing over 30,000 people, according to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and his office.
“I am honored to be here in North Carolina to showcase the multilayered and strong ties between Japan and the United States,” Kishida said through a translator, inside the mansion ballroom, where about 60 people dined from a menu created by award-winning North Carolina chef Ashley Christensen.
Until now, Kishida’s trip to the U.S. had been focused on global safety. He met President Joe Biden to discuss security concerns about China’s military, participated in the first trilateral summit between the U.S., Japan and the Philippines, and made the case in an address to a joint session of Congress for the U.S. to remain involved in global security.
But Kishida, who has been Japan’s prime minister since 2021, said before his trip that he chose to stop in North Carolina to show that the Japan-U.S. partnership extends beyond Washington, according to a translation posted on his website.
Japanese and North Carolina delegations traveled to the Greensboro area for Friday morning visits to a Honda Aircraft Co. production facility, as well as to the construction site for a Toyota Motor Corp. electric and hybrid battery plant that’s expected to ultimately employ more than 5,000 people.
Hours before Kishida and his wife arrived Thursday night at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, another Japanese company, Fujifilm, announced a $1.2 billion investment in its biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant and 680 jobs.
Chiaki Takagi, a Japanese studies lecturer at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, said this week that the prime minister’s visit surprised her but that it could signal a “positive future partnership” between Japan and the U.S. and more Japanese workers coming to the state.
“This whole thing will provide the area with opportunities to be engaged in very active cultural exchange between Japan and the U.S.,” Takagi said.
The luncheon marks the first time a foreign head of state has visited the governor’s mansion since record-keeping began in 1891, the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources said.
“What a better way to start then with one of our closest allies and friends from the country of Japan, with whom we share so many common interests,” Cooper said at the luncheon. “So today we make history, welcoming our wonderful friends.”
Kishida, Cooper and others were scheduled to go later Friday to North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where they will meet students ranging from those in middle school to adults studying Japanese. They will visit the university’s Japan Center, which was established by former Gov. Jim Hunt and others in 1980 following a state trade mission to Tokyo. North Carolina State also has long, formal ties with Japan’s Nagoya University.
Earlier Friday, Kishida’s wife, Yuko, and North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper, shared a traditional Japanese tea at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham.
