Governor Roy Cooper welcomed the Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Shigeo Yamada, to Charlotte and served as the host-state Governor for the annual Southeastern United States/Japan (SEUS/Japan) Economic Development Conference. The conference convened on Sunday, October 27 in Charlotte to recruit Japanese industry and meet with business leaders.
“Japan is currently North Carolina’s number one source of international business investment, and I’m pleased to welcome once again Ambassador Shigeo Yamada to our state,” said Governor Cooper. “This conference attracts senior business leaders from signature Japanese companies like Toyota, Honda, Bridgestone, FUJIFILM Diosynth, and many others, and presents a rare opportunity to showcase everything North Carolina has to offer a global company.”
“We are delighted to host the 46th annual conference that celebrates and strengthens our economic ties to Japan," said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. "This conference will continue to reinforce a dynamic future that is shaped through collaboration, partnerships, innovation, and growth.”
SEUS/Japan is the premier economic development partnership between seven states in the Southeastern United States and Japan, one of the nation’s largest trading partners and allies. More than 31,000 North Carolinians go to work at 225 Japanese-owned companies across the state, with several thousand more scheduled to start in the next five years. In recent years, companies including Toyota, HondaJet, FUJIFILM Diosynth, Kyowa Kirin, Morinaga, and Nipro Medical Corporation have announced significant investments and new good-paying jobs in North Carolina communities.
Toyota serves as the conference’s title sponsor, and companies such as Duke Energy, Honeywell, Bank of America, the North Carolina Railroad Company, the Carolina Core, and the Special Event Company are also significant sponsors, along with many other economic development supporters. Last year, Governor Cooper appointed Sean Suggs, the President of Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina, to serve as the Chairman of the seven-state association that organizes the conference each year.
Since taking office, Gov. Cooper’s sustained engagement with Japanese leaders and employers has paid dividends for North Carolina’s economy. From his first trip to Tokyo in 2017 to hosting a historic state visit from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April 2024, Gov. Cooper has made it a priority to recruit good-paying jobs from Japanese companies in high-growth industries like aerospace, electric vehicles, and biotech.
North Carolina is a founding member of the Southeast U.S./Japan Association, created in 1976 to promote trade, investment, understanding and friendship between Japan and member states in the southeastern United States. North Carolina’s membership is intended to encourage foreign direct investment (FDI) from Japanese companies, as well as strengthen export ties for North Carolina companies selling goods in Japan.
Member states of SEUS/Japan are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. SEUS/Japan has a Japanese counterpart, the Japan-U.S. Southeast Association currently led by the Bridgestone Corporation. The Japanese organization's membership includes Japan's top business leaders and government officials. The annual conference between the two associations is officially known as the Annual Joint Meeting and is held on a rotational basis in Japan and the states of the Southeast.
More information about the 2024 conference, including the conference agenda, is available at NC.gov/seusjapan.