The conference was held in Des Moines, Iowa.
Indiana was the largest out-of-state delegation and included one mayor, 17 business leaders and five local economic development and utility officials, according to a press release from the governor’s office Monday.
Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith also attended the conference.
“Through a friendship that spans nearly a century, Indiana’s bond with Japan shines brightly, crossing cultures and connecting economies,” Pence said in the release, which was announced prior to the event.
In his speech Monday, Pence said the state’s strong business relationship with Japan has put more than 46,000 Indiana residents to work across the state.
“With more than 46,000 Hoosiers going to work every day in Japanese companies in our state in more than 240 facilities, we’ve also committed ourselves as a state to make career and technical and vocational education a priority in every high school in the state of Indiana again,” Pence said.
He added that Indiana’s relationship with Japan was formally initiated in the late 1990s, when Indiana became sister-states with the Tochigi Prefecture.
“That friendship...was on full display last year when 40 Hoosiers and I boarded a plane to Japan, meeting with companies and attending last year’s conference in Tokyo,” Pence said.
At the conference, Pence discussed Japan’s decision to invest an additional $100 million to increase production of its Highlander mid-size sport utility vehicle.
The investment would add around 300 jobs to the Princeton, Ind., plant, he said.
Pence also said in his remarks that Japan is Indiana’s largest foreign trading investor.
The relationship between Indiana and Japan is far deeper than that of a business investment, Pence said, noting that the state raised nearly $1 million for tsunami victims.
“The ties that bind our people are strong,” he said.
Brian Seymour
