Governor Ron DeSantis Holds Roundtable with Japanese Business Leaders to Launch International Business Development Mission

Tokyo, Japan Governor Ron DeSantis, along with Florida Secretary of Commerce Laura DiBella, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Enterprise Florida Vice Board Chair Freddie Figgers, today led a roundtable discussion with Japanese business leaders from KEIDANREN (Japan Business Federation).

In addition, the governor and NTT Data, an information technology and consulting firm based in Tokyo, have partnered to provide college students in Florida with a one-week internship. NTT Data will host the students at their headquarters in Tokyo and as part of the internship, students will have the opportunity to interact with business leaders and learn about a multi-faceted global company.

Click to view the round table here.

Florida is leading the nation in new corporate formations because of our pro-business and pro-freedom policies that propel the economy forward and attract business investment from around the world, saidGovernor Ron DeSantis.I look forward to continuing to build strong business relationships with Japanese companies looking to do business in Florida.

We are honored to join Governor DeSantis in this important business development missionLaura DiBella, Florida Secretary of Commerce and President and CEO of Enterprise Florida. We are incredibly grateful to all the business leaders who took the time to meet with us today as the visit proved to be invaluable. We look forward to further strengthening our cooperation with the Japanese business community.

Economic relationship between Florida and Japan

Florida serves as a convenient base for Japanese companies looking to expand into the Southeastern US and into Latin America and the Caribbean. Japan is the 6^elargest foreign investor in Florida, with more than 200 Japanese companies employing more than 22,000 Floridians with interests totaling more than $5.2 billion. Bilateral trade between Florida and Japan exceeds $6.6 billion annually, ranking Florida 2nd^ndlargest bilateral trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region and Floridas 7^ebiggest partner overall.

In 2022, Japan imported approximately $636 million worth of goods from Florida’s seaports and airports. Automobiles and related products account for nearly 81% of all exports from Japan to Florida, with the Port of Jacksonville consistently being one of the top three ports for unloading Japanese vehicles for the United States. In addition, auto parts from Japan are shipped through distribution centers in Florida to parts centers in the United States.

Florida is home to more than 200 Japanese companies that invest billions in the Florida economy. Leaders of ANA Holdings Inc., Bridgestone Corporation, Canon Inc., Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc., Fujitsu Future Studies Center Ltd., Hino Motors Ltd., HIREC, Hitachi Ltd., Hitachi Research Institute, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., ITOCHU Corporation, Japan Airlines Co. Ltd., Japan Institute for Overseas Investment, Japan Machine Tool Builders’ Association, Japan-China Economic Association, Marubeni Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Mitsui & Co Ltd., Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd., Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. Ltd., Mizuho Bank Ltd., Mizuho Research & Technologies Ltd., MUFG Bank Ltd., NEC Corporation, NEC Space Technologies Ltd., Nippon Life Insurance Company, NS Solutions Corporation, Okaya & Co. Ltd., Shimizu North America LLC, SoftBank Group Corp., Sojitz Corporation, Subaru Corporation, Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Forestry Co. Ltd., Taisei Corporation, Teijin Limited, The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC), Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. Ltd., Toshiba Corporation, Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Tsusho Corporation were in attendance.

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