Current:Home > reviewsNorth Carolina governor to welcome historic visitor at mansion: Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida -Nova Finance Academy
North Carolina governor to welcome historic visitor at mansion: Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida
View
Date:2025-04-17 15:42:43
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — After spending a few days in Washington emphasizing global security concerns, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is set to tour around North Carolina on Friday to spotlight a different interest: his nation’s title as the state’s biggest foreign investor.
Kishida, who has been Japan’s prime minister since 2021, is scheduled to visit two Japanese companies and North Carolina State University after arriving Thursday night, according to Gov. Roy Cooper’s office. In between, Kishida plans to have lunch at the governor’s mansion in a historic first for the Tar Heel State.
“Well, this puts North Carolina in a global showcase,” Cooper told reporters Thursday. “Having the prime minister come and to acknowledge North Carolina when he could have gone to any one of the 50 states — it is a big deal.”
Kishida said in a news conference before his visit that he chose to stop in North Carolina to show that the Japan-U.S. partnership extends beyond Washington, according to a provisional translation posted on the prime minister’s website.
To kick off the tour, Kishida and his delegation plan to visit an up-and-coming Toyota Motor Corp. electric and hybrid battery plant in Liberty and the Honda Aircraft Co. headquarters in Greensboro.
Chiaki Takagi, a Japanese studies lecturer at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, said the prime minister’s visit surprised her but it could signal a “positive future partnership” between Japan and the U.S. and more Japanese workers coming to the state.
“This whole thing will provide the area with opportunities to be engaged in very active cultural exchange between Japan and the U.S.,” Takagi said. “And it’s nice to know Greensboro will be the place.”
Japan is North Carolina’s largest source of foreign direct investment, according to the governor’s office. About 30,000 state residents work for Japanese companies, Cooper said.
One of those companies, Fujifilm, announced a $1.2 billion investment in its biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in the state hours before Kishida landed.
The luncheon will mark the first time a foreign head of state has visited the governor’s mansion since records began being kept in 1891, state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources spokesperson Michele Walker said.
Kishida met with President Joe Biden on Wednesday to discuss security concerns about China’s military and reaffirm the U.S.-Japan alliance publicly. In a joint address to Congress on Thursday, Kishida made his case for the U.S. to remain an involved player in global security. He called China’s actions the “greatest strategic challenge” to the international community. Beijing has pushed back strongly on Kishida’s actions during his visit.
Later Thursday, the first trilateral summit between the U.S., Japan and the Philippines met at the White House to respond to Chinese “intimidation” in the Indo-Pacific.
veryGood! (836)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- 6th person dies in Pennsylvania house explosion; victims named, blast under investigation
- 'Dreams come true': Wave to Earth talks sold-out US tour, songwriting and band's identity
- This Minnesotan town's entire police force resigned over low pay
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Pentagon review calls for reforms to reverse spike in sexual misconduct at military academies
- Britney Spears Shares Cryptic Message Amid Sam Asghari Breakup
- Water managers warn that stretches of the Rio Grande will dry up without more rain
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- The Killers booed in former Soviet republic of Georgia after bringing Russian fan onstage
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston found not guilty of concealing his father’s child sex crimes
- Madonna turns 65, so naturally we rank her 65 best songs
- Madonna turns 65, so naturally we rank her 65 best songs
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- 6th person dies in Pennsylvania house explosion; victims named, blast under investigation
- Maui fire survivors are confronting huge mental health hurdles, many while still living in shelters
- The Gaza Strip gets its first cat cafe, a cozy refuge from life under blockade
Recommendation
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Judge declines to approve Hyundai/Kia class action settlement, noting weak proposed remedies
Suspect in New Jersey councilwoman’s slaying indicted on murder, weapons charges
Videos show flames from engine of plane that returned to Houston airport after takeoff
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
Record heat boosting wildfire risk in Pacific Northwest
Loved ones frantically search for DC-area attorney Jared Shadded, last seen at Seattle Airbnb
A camp teaches Ukrainian soldiers who were blinded in combat to navigate the world again