Lt. Governor Attends 32nd Annual Joint Meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan & Japan-U.S. Southeast Associations

Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp joined Governors and representatives from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, along with 500 Japanese and American executives, during the opening session of the 32nd Annual Joint Meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan & Japan-U.S. Southeast Associations.

A press release from the Governor’s Office is reprinted below for your review.

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Lt. Governor Attends 32nd Annual Joint Meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan & Japan-U.S. Southeast Associations

Florida celebrates its strong economic, trade ties with Japan

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp joined Governors and representatives from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, along with 500 Japanese and American executives, during the opening session of the 32nd Annual Joint Meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan & Japan-U.S. Southeast Associations (SEUS/Japan). The Lt. Governor served as delegation leader for the more than 30 public and private business development leaders from across the state attending this year’s conference.

“Florida values its longstanding ties with Japan,” said Florida Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp.

“As our second-largest trading partner, second-largest foreign investor and a major destination for Japanese tourists, we have much in our relationship to be thankful for. We were honored to serve as co-host the past two years, and look forward to a productive meeting this year.”

The meeting’s program includes a roundtable discussion hosted by renowned broadcast journalist Charlie Rose of PBS, as well as sessions on priority investment sectors, alternative energy and economic opportunities. Florida’s participation in the conference is organized by Enterprise Florida, Inc., along with Florida Delegation, SEUS-Japan, Inc., which serves as Florida’s leading private, non-profit organization devoted to promoting increased trade and investment between Florida and Japan.

“This year’s theme, ‘Building Success through Harmony and Collaboration,’ gives us the opportunity to reflect on our past successes, while strategically preparing ourselves for further integration between our respective regions,” Kottkamp said.

About SEUS/Japan

Founded in 1976, SEUS/Japan operates to promote trade and investment relations between Japan and the eight U.S. states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Each year, a joint meeting is held between SEUS/Japan and its overseas sister organization, the Japan-U.S. Southeast Association, alternating between sites in Japan and the U.S. Florida Delegation is funded by the State of Florida through the Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade & Economic Development, and is responsible for organizing the state’s participation in the Association and annual Joint Meeting, as well as hosting business promotion events across the state.

Florida Delegation is led by Chairwoman Sibille Pritchard, with former Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood acting as Honorary Chair. Its daily operations are overseen by Executive Director Dave Woodward.

About Florida-Japan Relations

Japan is Florida’s second-largest trading partner at $7.39 billion in 2007, and the state’s largest source of imports at more than $6.77 billion last year. Japan is also one of Florida’s largest overseas tourism markets, with 64,000 Japanese visiting the state in 2007. In terms of foreign direct investment, more than 150 Japanese companies operate in Florida, bringing $3.78 billion investment to the state and employing 20,000 Floridians. In turn, a number of Florida companies operate in Japan, including Office Depot, Darden Restaurants, Outback Steakhouse, Rooms to Go, Citrix Systems, and Jabil Circuits. Florida and Japan also see strengthened ties through the Florida-Japan Linkage Institute, seven sister cities, a sister park and sister state agreement.