JASA worked together with Alabama Department of Commerce and the Mobile Chamber of Commerce to host a Japanese shipbuilding delegation during their visit to Mobile on April 29th and 30th. The International Trade Association coordinated the visit as an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Japan to cooperate on expanding shipbuilding capacity and making related investment in the U.S. The delegation included representatives from a variety of key Japanese shipbuilding companies such as Imabari Shipbuilding Company - the largest in Japan; the Maritime Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT); the Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA) of the Japanese Ministry of Defense; and the Embassy of Japan in the U.S.
In close collaboration with Christina Stimpson at the Alabama Department of Commerce and David Rodgers at the Mobile Chamber of Commerce, JASA supported the delegation in part by providing and organizing translation services. Cultural Affairs Coordinator Reiko Nakazawa, and local Japanese-Mobilian Yuko Jordan of JASA member High-Purity Silicon America, interpreted on behalf of both sides throughout their site and bay tours. During these tours, delegates assessed locations and participated in technical exchanges with the goal of identifying opportunities for collaboration and future investment in the United States. JASA facilitated these high-level discussions, while also providing history of the surrounding area and sharing Alabama’s rich culture with the delegates.
JASA also hosted a breakfast for the delegates on the morning of April 30th, highlighting our work across the state supporting Japanese business in Alabama. Sponsored by member Page & Jones, the breakfast featured comments from Mark Jackson, Honorary Consul General of Japan; Ellen McNair, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce; JASA’s own Board President Carolyn Turner; Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce Andrew Farquharson; and both Yuko Jordan and Yoshiya Watanabe, of Rain Bird Distribution in Steele. Ms. Jordan and Mr. Watanabe shared their experiences working in Alabama as Japanese nationals, and the integral role JASA has played supporting Japanese business interests and Japanese employees in Alabama over the past 37 years.
Ms. Jordan highlighted JASA’s key role in connecting Japanese nationals in Alabama with up-to-date information in the wake of 9/11, when restrictions surrounding foreign nationals obtaining U.S. drivers licenses tightened suddenly. She emphasized that, in her over 30 years living in Mobile - originally as a student at the University of South Alabama - JASA’s reputation in Alabama is that of being an information nexus, sharing updates and providing cultural support and opportunities for mutual exchange between Japanese and Alabamians across the state. Case in point, Mr. Watanabe mentioned that he and his wife actually first met at a JASA event many years ago. He went on to share that his experience of living and working in Alabama since he and his wife graduated from the University of Alabama has been one of warmth, cultural openness, and curiosity, and the realization that Japanese and U.S. Southern culture are not all that different.
The JASA corporate community at large also helped to support the delegation’s visit: Mazda Toyota Manufacturing’s President Mitsunobu Mukaida and Executive Vice President Masanao Watanabe, JASA treasurer Shinichi Kondo of KPMG, JETRO’s Chief Executive Director Toshio Kii and Director Kouki Danno, Dr. Rick Carter and Dr. Bri Ard of the University of South Alabama, and XpatHomes’ Akiko Miyamoto all took part in this important visit, and worked to ensure our visitors felt welcomed to Alabama - and the JASA community!
JASA was honored to work together with our corporate members to share the great qualities of our state with this delegation, highlighting our top-tier workforce and already existing, close ties with Japan. We look forward to tackling similar opportunities in the future!
