Governor Granholm
and her economic development team discuss alternative energy development
with Hitachi President and CEO Kazuo Furukawa and his team. |
It's great to be back in Japan. It was a hot one today - temperatures in
the mid-80s with lots of humidity. Unfortunately this may be our only sunny
day…rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week. News of Typhoon
Sinlaku reminded me of our 2005 investment mission when we were here on the heels
of another a typhoon! I hear we are missing some great fall weather back
home. This morning came early after a long day of travel from Detroit to Tokyo.
We arrived at our hotel last night and following a cup of java and a quick breakfast
briefing this morning, we were off to company meetings where we emphasized that
our top-notch workforce and a host of new tools in our economic development toolbox
make Michigan the perfect place for global companies to invest.
Governor Granholm and
Eurus Energy President Tetsuro Nagata discuss the potential for wind power
generation and the jobs that would create in Michigan. |
Today's schedule was packed with back-to-back meetings as we talked with executives
from 11 different companies… including: Nissan, Hitachi, Konica-Minolta,
Meiden, Honda, Keihin, Sekisui Chemical, Tokyo Electric, Mazda, Eurus Energy
and Hino Motors. Sometimes we were sprinting from meeting to meeting -
it felt like the Amazing Race television show, but of course we were selling
Michigan all the way along!
Today we are aggressively targeting companies particularly in the alternative
energy industry; a key sector in our economic plan to diversify Michigan's economy.
Every company we met with was enthusiastic about the potential of renewable
energy and I was truly honored at the reaction we received from company officials.
Despite the challenges to the auto industry and
Governor Granholm
enjoys a light moment with Mazda Chairman and CEO Hisakazu Imaki after the
two discussed Mazda's new production facility in Flat Rock and the potential
for future investment in Michigan. |
the tough situation on Wall Street, we were encouraged by the interest in companies
that want to invest in the Great Lakes State. We discussed some potentially
exciting alternative energy projects including lithium ion batteries, electric
vehicle platforms, wind turbine manufacturing and wind farms with Nissan, Mazda,
Eurus Energy and Tokyo Electric.
Japan and Michigan already have a great working relationship. In fact, there are more than 472 Japanese-owned companies in Michigan, employing over 39,000 people. But this trip is all about continuing to build on this great relationship attracting growth and new jobs in the future.
A footnote for the day: The locals call Japan, Nippon, which means "the sun's origin" leading to the common translation Land of the Rising Sun.
Stay tuned for more news on our meetings and travels tomorrow…
- JMG
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