Japan-America Society of Houston (JASH) joined Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) on an investment and trade mission to Japan to establish new avenues for cooperation in energy, innovation, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and transportation/mobility.
During the week-long mission, Mayor Turner, GHP CEO Bob Harvey, and delegates met with high-ranking government leaders and business executives in the Japanese cities of Tokyo and Chiba to promote Houston's economic, governmental and cultural ties. The mayor also spoke at the U.S.-Japan Council 2022 annual conference on the topic, "Leveraging Subnational Action to Solve Global Problems."
Day one of the official engagements included a briefing at the U.S. Embassy in Japan, followed by a meeting at JETRO where JASH Board Members Yuzuru Nagawa and Atsuki Kawakami provided information on Houston to businesses looking to expand successfully to Japan.
Later in the week, the delegation traveled to Chiba to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between the City of Houston and the City of Chiba. Mayor Turner joined the mayor of Chiba to reaffirm the Sister City Agreement executed on October 24, 1972, and vowed to continue working in unison for the mutual benefit of our cities and people. Read more about the Sister City 50th anniversary celebration here.
Other engagements during the investment and trade mission included a briefing and ride on the Japanese bullet train in coordination with Texas Central Rail and Japan Central Railway, as well as visits to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Yokohama Hardtech Hub, Toshiba, Sumitomo Heavy Industries and Daikin.
The night before returning home on Oct. 30, the delegation attended the Houston Ballet's first-ever performance of Stanton Welch's Swan Lake at Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, Japan.
