Governor Granholm talks about development of the lithium ion battery with Masahiko Otsuka, President of Automotive Energy Supply Co., a joint venture between Nissan and NEC looking to establish a North American presense for their growing customer base..

Last night we were invited to dine with executives from Hino Motors at Chinzan-so, Tokyo's Japanese Garden Restaurant which is located in a particularly scenic part of the city.  After a hectic day, we had the chance to stroll through their beautiful gardens before heading into dinner.  Dinner included eel, barracuda, fish dumplings, sake-boiled scallops, dragon fruit (really big and hot pink on the outside) - I was a little leery of the fare at first, but it was surprisingly tasty!

It was an early morning today, with a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call and another breakfast briefing with the team.  We were on the bullet train by 8:00 a.m. to travel on to a meeting with Mitsubishi Heavy Industry.  MHI is a great example of how the world is changing.  MHI has manufactured heavy equipment for generations, but is now branching out into wind turbines and we want their first American manufacturing facility to be in Michigan.

Governor Granholm pitches Michigan to executives from Mitsubishi Heavy Industry. The company, which has long had a relationship with MIchigan, is diversifying into wind turbine manufacturing and will soon decide where to locate their first American manufacturing facility. MEDC officials met with the company in California prior to today's meeting to encourage consideration of Michigan and Granholm made the case for why Michigan was the best place in the country for wind manufacturing.

As we traveled through the city, I was reflecting on the mix of old and new in Tokyo.  There is the serene old Imperial Palace and then the bright lights and glitz of the Ginza.  The Ginza is the district's center - one square meter in this area is worth more than ten million yen (which is equal to more than $100,000 U.S. dollars), making it one of the most expensive places for real estate in Japan.  It is also where you can find the infamous cups of $10 coffee! While in the Ginza district, it is apparent that the Japanese always have the latest toys, clothes, and music on hand.

After our meeting with Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, we had a chance to sit down with Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), a joint venture between Nissan and NEC established just last year to produce lithium ion secondary battery systems for cars.  AESC needs to establish a North American presence and they want to do it near their potential customers ... and that should mean Michigan.  During lunch we met with Yorozu Corporation, I thanked them for their commitments in Battle Creek and Farmington Hills. 

After our meetings we were back on the train and headed for Nagoya to have dinner with three great companies that already have a presence in Michigan including: Denso, Tokai Rika, and Aisin, which last month announced a proposed $8.6 million expansion of its Plymouth Township technical center creating up to 300 jobs. The Aisin Group, the world's sixth-largest automotive supplier, in 2005 located an 800-acre automotive testing center in Fowlerville, one of the projects we announced following our previous investment mission to Japan in 2005. 

Like so many of us, these economic leaders are watching all that is happening in the U.S. economy very carefully.  They are concerned with the instability in the markets and the challenges of Lehman Brothers and AIG.  They share our concern, but also our hope and confidence that our automotive industry, our state and our nation are strong and resilient in the face of challenge.

Another full day tomorrow; hope to share more good news with you!  Until then…good night and stay tuned…

-JMG