Pence Continues Business Meetings in Japan

Governor Mike Pence is getting face time with executives of Japanese companies with operations in Indiana as he continues his trip in the Asian nation. Pence's meetings today include Mitsubishi Corp., the parent company of Indiana Packers Corp., and Sony Corp., which has a manufacturing facility in Terre Haute.

Tokyo, Japan — Governor Mike Pence today expressed Indiana's renewed commitment to strengthening the state’s ties with Japan during a speech at the opening ceremony of the 45th Annual Joint Meeting of the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association and Japan-Midwest U.S. Association.

“I am here today to renew Indiana’s relationship with Japan. Our state’s future looks bright, and we look forward to seeing the entire state – families and businesses, both homegrown and from afar – succeed,” said Pence. “We hope more and more Japanese firms will be able to leverage Indiana's favorable business environment, convenient location and strong workforce to grow and expand in the coming years.”

The governor recognized Indiana’s conference delegation, the largest state delegation in attendance at the conference, consisting of three mayors and community and business leaders from across the state. He then discussed Indiana’s attractive business environment and expressed gratitude for Japanese companies’ continued investment in the Hoosier State.

“We are grateful that so many Japanese companies have chosen to build their homes in Indiana,” said Pence. “Our work continues to ensure we remain the destination of choice for our extraordinary Japanese business partners.”

Following his conference appearance, Pence met with Japanese companies that currently have operations in Indiana, including NSK Ltd. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). NSK, the parent company of NSK Corp. and Franklin, Ind.-headquartered NSK Precision America, employs more than 400 Hoosiers in Franklin and Liberty. In June, the company announced plans to invest $30 million to expand its Franklin operations, adding 46 new jobs. MHI subsidiary Mitsubishi Engine North America recently chose Franklin to invest $10.8 million to manufacture turbochargers for U.S. automobiles on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Climate Control's campus in Franklin, creating up to 73 new jobs by 2016.

On Tuesday, Pence will continue business meetings in Tokyo, meeting with executives from Mitsui & Co., Ltd., which has joint ventures in Seymour Tubing in Seymour and PK USA in Shelbyville; Mitsui Mining & Smelting, parent company of Greensburg-based GECOM; Sony Corp., which currently has a DVD & Blu-ray disc manufacturing facility in Terre Haute; Mitsubishi Corp., the parent company of Indiana Packers Corp. in Delphi and Enkei America Inc. and Nikkei M.C. Aluminum America Inc. in Columbus; and Keihin Corp., which has several Indiana locations including Keihin North America’s headquarters and research and development center in Anderson.

Source: Office of Indiana Governor Mike Pence