The Florida / Japan Report - Southeast US Japan Association

The Florida / Japan Report
Published By
“Florida Delegation”
Fall 2014 Edition
Florida Delegation Elects
New Chairman
Secretary of Commerce Swoope leads Florida Delegation to
The 37th Annual Joint Meeting in Tokyo
Keith A. Norden,
President
and
CEO of Team
Volusia Economic Development
Corporation and
SEUS
Japan
board member,
was elected as
chairman of Florida Delegation,
Southeast U.S.
Keith A. Norden, CEcD,
Japan AssociaChairman, Florida Delegation.
tion, SEUS/Japan Association/ President & CEO,
Team Volusia Economic
Development Corporation
Norden
was
elected at a Florida
Delegation
Board Meeting held on September 9 in
Jacksonville, and succeeds George D.
Gabel Jr., Partner, Holland & Knight, Jacksonville. Norden has a long history of involvement in Southeast U.S. Japan Association from his previous economic development work in both Tampa, FL and the
state of Virginia.
He participated in this year’s SEUS/Japan
Joint Meeting in Tokyo this past September 18-20 and presided over the Florida
Delegation Annual Meeting of Members
held this past Sept. 18 in Tokyo in conjunction with the SEUS/Japan Joint Meeting. Please join us in welcoming and congratulating him on election as our new
chairman.
Inside This Issue:
Joint Statement from 37th Annual Joint
Meeting in Tokyo
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems
Announcement
Orlando-Urayasu 25th Anniversary
Little Known Companies Fuel Japan’s
Economic Rebound
Continued Articles/ Save the Dates
2
3
3
3
4
Florida Secretary of Commerce/EFI President & CEO Gray Swoope led the official
Florida delegation of 30 delegates and
spouses to the 37th Annual Joint Meeting of
Japan-U.S. Southeast and SEUS/Japan
Associations. Newly elected Florida Delegation Chairman, Keith A. Norden, served as
co-delegation leader (see article to left).
Florida Delegation successfully organized,
planned and coordinated Florida’s official
participation in this year’s Annual Joint Meeting that was held in Tokyo at the New Otani
Hotel this past September 18-20th, working
closely with Enterprise Florida.
The conference, which is designed to promote and strengthen business, economic,
education, tourism and friendship ties between the Southeast member states and
Japan, was well attended with a total of
some 300 SEUS/Japan and Japan-U.S.
Southeast delegates and guests along with
heads of delegation for each of the SEUS
member states and Japan delegations. U.S.
Ambassador Caroline Kennedy participated
as a keynote speaker during the welcome
reception held on September 18, and
Atsutoshi Nishida, Senior Advisor to the
Board of Toshiba Corporation, Tokyo headquarters, chaired this year’s joint meeting.
Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope led the
Florida Delegation to Tokyo this past Sept. 18-20. Sec.
Swoope is pictured here during the Florida Delegation
Annual Meeting of Members held immediately prior to the
37th Annual SEUS/Japan Joint Meeting in Tokyo. From
left: The Hon. Shinji Nagashima, Consul General of Japan in Miami; Florida Sec. of Commerce & Delegation
Leader Gray Swoope; Florida Delegation Chairman Keith
Norden; and Mario Sacasa, Senior V.P., Int’l Programs,
The Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
From the Japan side, the Japanese Consul
General from Miami, and other high-level
Japanese officials and top business leaders
took part in the conference. The conference
program included a golf tournament, sightseeing tours, networking receptions, meals,
entertainment and informative plenary and
breakout sessions on trade, investment,
alternative energy and tourism.
(Editor’s note: Please see page 2 for the
complete official joint statement from this
Alabama To Host 38th Annual SEUS Joint Meeting
Next year’s 38th Annual SEUS/Japan
Joint Meeting will be hosted by Birmingham, Alabama on November 14-16th,
2015. Please see the save the dates
preliminary announcement on page 4,
and mark your calendar now! Shown to
the right is the official venue hotel selected for the 38th Joint Meeting, The
Sheraton Hotel, Birmingham. (More details TBA soon; feel free to contact us
with any questions in the meantime.
PAGE 2
FLO R I D A /J A P A N R E P O R T
FA LL 2 0 1 4 E D I T I O N
Official Joint Statement from The 37th Joint Meeting
The Japan-U.S. Southeast Association
and the Southeast U.S./Japan Association held their 37th Annual Joint Meeting at the New Otani hotel in Tokyo,
Japan, September 18 to 20, 2014, with
the theme of “Success through Harmony, Tradition and Innovation.” Japan
Chairman, Mr. Atsutoshi Nishida, Advisor to the Board, Toshiba Corporation and SEUS Chairman, Mr. William Yates, Chairman of Yates Construction Company, presided over the
meeting which attracted approximately
300 delegates.
The SEUS delegations were led by
senior government officials from each
jurisdiction including: the Honorable
Phil Bryant, Governor, State of Mississippi, this year’s co-host state; the
Honorable Hugh K. Leatherman, President Pro Tempore, State of South Carolina Senate; Bart Gobeil, Chief Operating Officer, State of Georgia; Greg
Canfield, Secretary of Commerce,
State of Alabama; Gray Swoope, Secretary of Commerce, State of Florida;
Sharon Allred Decker, Secretary of
Commerce, State of North Carolina;
and Bill Hagerty, Commissioner, Department of Economic and Community
Development, State of Tennessee.
VIPs attending the conference included
the Honorable Caroline Kennedy, U.S.
Ambassador to Japan; the Honorable
Kazuo Sunaga, Consul General of Japan in Atlanta; the Honorable Motohiko Kato, Consul General of Japan in
Nashville; and Shinji Nagashima, Consul General of Japan in Miami.
In the opening remarks, William Yates
and Atsutoshi Nishida recognized the
growing significance of the spirit of
harmony and collaboration. They
highlighted the strong ties and mutual
trust between the U.S. and Japan and
urged the two countries to play a leading role in bringing the world together
to meet pressing global challenges.
Following the opening remarks, each
of the SEUS delegation leaders provid-
The Chairmen, Heads of Delegation, and Three Japanese Consuls General
(from the Southeast region) at the 37th Annual SEUS/Japan Joint Meeting in
Tokyo on September 19, 2014, just prior to the opening ceremony. The Florida
Delegation Leader and Sec. of Commerce, Gray Swoope, appears second from
left in the photo.
ed state-specific information and answered questions in a town-hall format.
President, Global Freight Forwarding
District, UPS Asia Pacific Region; Mr.
Jonathan Daniels, Executive Director
& CEO, Mississippi State Port AuthorPanel Session I, “Profiting from the
ity at Gulfport; Mr. Yoji Ohashi,
New Environment Landscape,” feaChairman of the board, ANA Holdtured a discussion on how environmen- ings; and Professor Takehiko Sugiyatal changes in the advanced manufac- ma, President, Institute for Transport
turing industry impact business planPolicy Studies. Mr. Hiroyuki Ishige,
ning for future growth and future exChairman and CEO, Japan External
pansion plans. Panelists included Dr. Trade Organization (JETRO), served
David R. Shaw, Vice President, Reas moderator.
search and Economic Development,
Mississippi State University; Mr. Erik Throughout the program, views and
M. Kirkhorn, Director, Government
opinions were exchanged and underAffairs, Toyota Motor North America, standing of the conference issues was
Inc..; Mr. Harutoshi Tagaya, Managing deepened. Participants were able to
Director, The Tokio Marine Research see long-time friends and make new
Institute; and Mr. Kiyoshi Sanehira,
ones. The significance of the partnerHead of Corporate Environment Man- ship was reconfirmed. The value of
agement Office, Toshiba Corporation. working together in harmony was recThe panel was moderated by Mr. Aki- ognized and a commitment to the joint
hiro Sawa, Executive Fellow, The 21st effort to help achieve sustainable
Century Public Policy Institute.
growth of the U.S. and Japan as well as
of the world was affirmed.
“Japan and SEUS: Strategic Anchors
for Global Market Access” was the
The meeting was adjourned with an
theme of Panel Session II. Attendees announcement that the 38th Annual
heard presentations on how the South- Joint Meeting will be held in Birmingeastern United States and Japan are
ham, Alabama at the Sheraton Birwell positioned to serve as the gatemingham Hotel from November 14-16,
ways to growing global markets. Pan- 2015.
elists included Mr. Jeff McCorstin,
FLORIDA/JAPAN REPORT
PAGE 3
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems To Locate North American Headquarters
To Lake Mary, FL
Today, Governor Rick Scott announced
that Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems
Americas, Inc. forecasts adding in excess
of 100 new jobs over the next five years
with the establishment of its North
American headquarters in Lake Mary.
Governor Scott said, “We worked hard to
win this new headquarters for Florida,
and while Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems could have chosen any other state in
the nation they picked Florida because of
our growing opportunity economy that
will create jobs for generations to come.”
Last February, two multinational industrial companies, Hitachi and Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries, merged their fossil
power generation business, Mitsubishi
Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc. As
a result, the company is locating its new
North American headquarters in Lake
Mary. The new facility will add significant space to accommodate the recent
merger and expansion. The new headquarters location will provide overall
management of the strategic and tactical
direction of the company’s activities in
the western hemisphere.
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems President & CEO David Walsh said,
“Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems provides the most efficient electric energy
producing equipment and services to ma-
Governor Rick Scott speaking at Mitsubishi Hitachi
Power Systems’ North American Headquarters
jor power producers and their millions of
electricity customers throughout the
Western Hemisphere. This new worldclass headquarters facility is essential to
meeting our growth initiatives. As we
move into 2015 and 2016, we will add
positions in management, engineering,
sales & marketing, and necessary administrative functions to support our operations, subsidiaries and customers
throughout the Americas.”
The new offices at 400 Colonial Center
Parkway in Lake Mary will also accommodate MHPSA’s new shared administrative services activity. Walsh said,
“This is a significant commitment that
confirms our intent to make Florida the
newly formed MHPSA’s headquarters
home, providing (continued on page 4)
FA LL 2 0 1 4 E D I T I O N
Little Known Companies Fuel
Japan’s Economic Rebound
Toray isn’t a household name outside Japan. But unlike some such as Sony Corp.
that are, Toray Industries Inc. is thriving,
along with other companies in morepedestrian industries that are helping
lead Japan’s comeback from two decades
of economic torpor. Toray helped Japan
out of crisis once before: Today, it exports
carbon fiber for Boeing BA airliners, fabric for Uniqlo underwear, absorbent elements for disposable diapers and hundreds of other materials. Toray expects to
report its highest net income ever in the
current fiscal year. By contrast, Sony
Corp. says it will report a ¥230 billion
($2.1 billion) loss. But the country is proving to have a resilient base in the moreprosaic companies and industries that are
a big part of its profit comeback. Net income at the country’s major corporations
rose 69% to a record ¥25.3 trillion in the
fiscal year ended in March from the prior
year, according to SMBC Nikko Securities.
Major manufacturers’ net income grew
116% to ¥12.1 trillion, and many companies are forecasting further gains for the
July-September period. Ulrike Schaede,
professor of Japanese business at the University of California, San Diego says
“Everybody focuses on the zombie companies, but there are all these great firms,
most of which no one has heard of. It’s a
quiet revolution, or a quiet restoration.”
Source: Asia Wall Street Journal 10-05-14
SEUS/Japan Participates in Orlando-Urayasu 25th Anniversary Sister City Celebrations
Florida Delegation members during Orlando-Urayasu
Sister City 25th Anniversary Celebration Event (from
left): Takako Johnson, President, International Planning Inc.; SEUS/Japan Executive Director Dave
Woodward; City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; Greater Orlando Aviation Vice Chairman Dean Asher;
Mikako Sato-Stetson, SEUS/Japan Staff/Interpreter;
and Past SEUS/Japan Board Member Shigeko Honda
events held in Urayasu, Japan, this past
September 20, which was purposely
planned in conjunction with the 37th
Annual Japan-US Southeast and Southeast U.S. Japan Associations Joint Meeting held in Tokyo this past September
18-20 (see related article on front page).
Over 50 local Urayasu officials and citizens attended the event to welcome
Mayor Dyer, who gave responding remarks to the Urayasu Mayor’s welcome
speech.
This allowed Mayor Dyer and four delegates from The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority to participate in both the
Urayasu Sister City event and the
A group of Florida Delegation from Or- SEUS/Japan Joint Meeting.
lando led by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer
participated in 25th Anniversary Orlan- At the same time, this made it possible
do-Urayasu Sister-City celebration for Florida Delegation, SEUS/Japan As-
sociation to participate in the Urayasu
Sister City event along with Mayor Dyer’s delegation.
As many of our readers know, Urayasu
is the city in which Tokyo Disneyland is
located, which helped foster the sister
city relationship.
Florida Delegation members previously
visited Urayasu for an event when the
previous Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood served as delegation leader to
the SEUS/Japan Joint Meeting in Tokyo
in 2005. She had previously served as
Orlando’s Mayor. Also, in 2012, the current Florida Secretary of State, Kenneth
Detzner, visited Urayasu for courtesy
meetings with senior Tokyo Disneyland
officials when he led the Florida Delegation to the 35th SEUS/Japan Joint Meeting in Tokyo.
PAGE 4
FLORIDA/JAPAN REPORT
FA LL 2 0 1 4 E D I T I O N
37th Annual SEUS/Japan Joint Meeting Florida Delegation Roster
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Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems
To Locate North American
Gray Swoope, Secretary of Commerce, State of Florida (Delegation Leader)
Headquarters
To Lake Mary, FL
Keith A. Norden, Chairman, Florida Delegation, SEUS/Japan Association/President &
(continued from page 3)
CEO, Team Volusia EDC, Daytona Beach (Co-Delegation Leader)
Sayuri Nomura Anderson, Senior Program Coordinator, University of Phoenix, Asia
Pacific Campus, Tokyo/Jacksonville
Steven Archer, Director, Business Development, Avcorp Industries, Inc., Lakeland
Dean Asher, Vice Chairman, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Orlando
Jake Baccari, Attorney, White & Case, LLP, Tokyo/Miami
Ivan Barrios, VP, Trade Development, Enterprise Florida, Coral Gables
Phillip N. Brown, Executive Director, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Orlando
Frank Camp, Director of Non-Containerized Sales, Jacksonville Port Authority,
Jacksonville
The Hon. Buddy Dyer, Mayor, City of Orlando, Orlando
Kazumi Fujimoto, Deputy Director, Enterprise Florida- Japan Office, Tokyo
Shigeko Honda, Board Member, FL Delegation, SEUS/Japan, Delray Beach
Victoria Jaramillo, Director of Marketing, Marketing & International Development,
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Orlando
Takako T. Johnson , President, International Planning Inc., Orlando
Masao Kimura, Director of Japan EMS Sales, Jabil Japan, Tokyo
Frank Kruppenbacher, Chairman, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Orlando
Jeffrey Lynne, Board of Directors, Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, Delray Beach
Joe A. Martinez, Vice President, International Business Development, EFI, Orlando
Marilyn McCain, President, Asia/Pacific Division, PBMA & Assoc. Realty, Palmetto
Melissa Medley, Chief Marketing Officer, Enterprise Florida, Tallahassee
Joseph Napoli, Executive Chief of Staff, Miami-Dade Aviation Department
Ikue Okano, Manager, Overseas Div., Kansai Construction Survey Co., Ltd., Osaka
Mario J. Sacasa, Senior VP, International Programs, The Beacon Council, Miami
Mikako Sato-Stetson, Special Assistant to the Executive Director, Florida Delegation,
SEUS/Japan Assoc., Miami
Roy Schleicher, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, Jacksonville
Port Authority, Jacksonville
Sam K. Tabuchi, Director , Enterprise Florida-Japan Office, Tokyo
Douglas Trelfa, Ph. D., Director, University of West Florida Japan Center, Pensacola
Deborah Wilkinson, Executive Director, Tampa Bay Trade and Protocol Council,
Tampa
Dave Woodward, Executive Director, Florida Delegation, SEUS/Japan Assoc., Miami
good jobs in Florida. Our business is
high-tech, and requires a highly
skilled workforce with advanced
education, experience and technical
aptitude. The quality of life in the
Orlando area, the pro-business Florida environment, the highly developed Orlando transportation hub,
and the high quality of the regional
talent base, are key reasons why we
are affirming our commitment to
locate here, and call Florida home.”
Florida is the 4th largest state
(based on GDP) in the U.S. and the
18th largest economy in the world.
President & CEO of Enterprise
Florida, Gray Swoope said,
“Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems’
joins our growing base of company
headquarters. The strong workforce
in Florida and great tax benefits
will help companies like Mitsubishi
Hitachi continue growing and I look
forward to seeing their future accomplishments.” MHPSA has had a
continuous, strong partnership with
Enterprise Florida, CareerSource
Florida, the City of Lake Mary,
Seminole County and Orange County. For the complete article, please
view online at:
www.enterpriseflorida.com/news
Source: Enterprise Florida
FLORIDA DELEGATION, SEUS/JAPAN ASSOC. MAILING ADDRESS:
P.O. Box 226647
Miami, FL 33222-6647
Newsletter Editor:
Dave Woodward, Executive Director
Florida Delegation SEUS/Japan Association
Acknowledgements & disclaimer:
We welcome contributions and input from our members and readers, and while
every effort is made to report all information accurately, we apologize for any
errors or omissions on our part. Please contact us with any suggested revisions.
This publication was produced with support from the State of Florida, Department of
Economic Opportunity.