JAPAN-U.S. SOUTHEAST & Joint Statement for October 20, 2009 The Japan-U.S. Southeast Association and the Southeast U.S./Japan Association held their 33rd Annual Joint Meeting in Tokyo, Japan, October 18-20, 2009, with the theme of “Building Success through Harmony and Collaboration.” The Chairmen presiding over the meeting were the Japan Chairman Hiromasa Yonekura and the SEUS Chairman John L. Atkins III. Approximately 110 Japanese and 230 American delegates participated this year. We were honored by the presence of the SEUS state delegation leaders: the Hon. Beverly Eaves Perdue, Governor, the State of North Carolina, this year’s cohost state; the Hon. Phil Bredesen, Governor, the State of Tennessee; Mr. David Hutchison, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Alabama; Dr. John A. Adams, Jr., President & CEO, Enterprise Florida, Inc.; the Hon. Ken Stewart, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Economic Development; Mr. Gray Swoope, Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority; the Hon. John Yancey McGill, Senator of the State of South Carolina Senate; and the Hon. Patrick O. Gottschalk, Secretary of Commerce and Trade, the Commonwealth of Virginia; and also by the participation of the Hon. Takuji Hanatani, Consul General of Japan from Atlanta, the Hon. Hiroshi Sato, Consul General of Japan from Nashville, and the Hon. Yoshiharu Namiki, Consul General of Japan from Miami. In the Opening Ceremony, Chairman Yonekura began the meeting by recognizing the growing significance of the spirit of harmony and collaboration. He highlighted the strong ties and mutual trust between the U.S. and Japan and urged the two countries, the world’s economic powerhouses that have developed the most successful partnership in recent history, to lead the world by example in building new ways together to meet pressing global challenges, such as the current recession, climate change, and sustainable development. In the Plenary Session after the Opening Ceremony, Mr. Fujio Mitarai, Chairman, Nippon Keidanren, and Chairman and CEO, Canon, Inc., delivered the keynote address, and Mr. Haruo Naito, President and CEO, Eisai Co., Ltd., gave us the plenary session speech. At the Luncheon Program, we were privileged to be addressed by Mr. James P. Zumwalt, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Japan. In Panel Session I that afternoon, featuring “Current Investment Opportunities in the Southeast U.S.,” Mr. J. Tate Godfrey, CEcD, President/CEO, North Alabama Industrial Development Association, Inc., Mr. Charles D. Ganz, Partner, Sutherland Asbill & Brenan LLP, Mr. Whit Hughes, Deputy Director of the Mississippi Development Authority, Mr. Yasuo Hayashi, Chairman and CEO, Japan External Trade Organization, and Mr. Nobuo Katsumata, Chairman, Marubeni Corporation, and Chairman, Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc., shared their experiences in investment projects and discussed impacts of the current recession on the SEUS economy and the outlook for investment in the SEUS states. In Panel Session II, “To Develop Tourism Industry”, Mr. Yoshiaki Hompo, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency, Ms. Kayoko Inoue, Managing Director, Japan for the U.S. Travel Association, and Mr. Yoji Ohashi, Chairman of the Board, All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd., and Vice Chairman, Nippon Keidanren, recognized the importance of tourism businesses for the Japanese and SEUS economies and discussed the efforts in the public and private sectors to promote tourism as well as the prospects for the industry. October 20 started with the panel keynote address by Mr. Toshihiko Fukui, Chairman, the Mid-term Target Committee, the Council on the Global Warming Issue, President, the Canon Institute for Global Studies, and former Governor of the Bank of Japan. In the Panel Discussion, “Energy and Environment”, Mr. Satoshi Mukuta, Managing Director, Nippon Keidanren, Mr. Thomas B. Ballard, Director, Partnerships UT-Battelle, LLC, Dr. John A. Adams, Jr., President & CEO, Enterprise Florida, Inc., Mr. Fujio Cho, Chairman and Representative Director, Toyota Motor Corporation, Mr. Tsunehisa Katsumata, Chairman, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc., and Dr. Ryoji Chubachi, Vice Chairman, Sony Corporation, and Vice Chairman, Board of Councillors, Nippon Keidanren, presented their initiatives on company and industry levels to address energy and climate change issues. The panelists also discussed major challenges that need to be overcome to reach agreement at the COP15 in Copenhagen, December 2009, and emphasized the importance of establishing a viable, sustainable framework that guarantees global commitment and cooperation. Throughout our program, we exchanged views and opinions with our guest experts and delegates and deepened our understanding on the issues of mutual interest, ranging from the economy, trade and investment, to energy, climate change and the global environment. At the same time, we had the pleasure of seeing long-time friends and making new friends. We reconfirmed the significance of our partnership and the value of working together in harmony and affirmed our commitment to the joint effort to help achieve sustainable growth of the U.S. and Japan as well as of the world. In the Closing Ceremony, the meeting was adjourned with an announcement that the 34th Annual Joint Meeting will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, October 16-19, 2010. |