Committee on U.S. Affairs
Mission to the United States
Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky,Washington, D.C.
May 14-20, 2017

Outline of the U.S. Mission
Duration:May 14（Sun) – May 20 (Sat)States and Cities Visited(1) Illinois (Chicago)(2) Wisconsin (Madison)(3) Kentucky (Frankfort, Louisville)(4) Washington DC
Composition of Mission
Leaders: Kunio Ishihara,Chair, Committee on U.S. Affairs
Haruo Murase
Vice Chair of the Board of Councillors; Chair, Committee on U.S. Affairs
Deputy Leader: Takashi Morimura, Chair, Sub- Committee on U.S. Affairs
Participating Companies

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, Canon Marketing Japan, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi
UFJ, Itochu, ANA Holdings, Komatsu, Sumitomo Corporation, Sojitz Corporation, Toyota, JAL, Nomura
Holdings, Hitachi, Mizuho Bank, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking
Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric(40 representatives, 18 companies)

1Mission Objectives• Send missions to the United States on an ongoing basis to reaffirm
the primary importance of the Japan-U.S. relationship among
Japan’s bilateral ties, focus on the contribution of Japanesecompanies to the U.S. economy, and develop and enhance
relationships with key figures within policy arena keeping in mind
the change in policy environment at start of the newadministration.
• In the various states visited, hold talks with state governors andexecutives, federal and state legislators, and corporate
representatives and highlight the contribution of Japanesecompanies to the U.S. economy and society and request continued
support for Japanese companies’ U.S. operations.
• Engage in dialogue with key federal government officials, business
representatives, and thought-leaders in Washington, D.C. on ways
to increase the strength and resiliency of Japan-U.S. economic
relations and to discuss the federal government’s policy issues, etc.

2Illinois (Sun, May 14 - Mon, May 15)
Illinois Governor, Bruce Rauner
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Director,
Sean McCarthy
Intersect Illinois, President, Andria Winters
Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago, Chair, Kazuo Shimizu
Visits to innovation hubs (Fin-tech and digital manufacturing)Consul-General of Japan in Chicago, Naoki Ito
JETRO Chicago, Chief Executive Director, Ichiro Sone

Governor Rauner• Making Illinois pro-business is mypolicy priority, and I want tobolster
investment
fromJapanese firms.
• I want to expand exchanges
between Japan and Illinois
through trade, investment, andtourism, etc.

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Wisconsin (Mon, May 15 - Tue, May 16)
Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor, Rebecca KleefischFormer Wisconsin Governor, Tommy Thompson
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Chancellor, Rebecca Blank
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, CEO, Mark Hogan
Kikkoman factory visit

Lt. Governor Kleefisch• Exiting (rejecting) the TPP does
not mean that the United States
rejects trade partnerships.
• State governments can move
more nimbly than the federal
government to revise systems,
lower taxes, and cut costs, etc.
• We continue working to create
abusinessenvironment
conducivetolong-term
corporate investment.

4Kentucky (Wed, May 17- Thurs, May 18)
Kentucky Governor, Matt Bevin
Economic Development Secretary, Terry Gill
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO, Dave Adkisson
Former Kentucky Governor, Martha Layne Collins
Round Table with Japanese companies in Kentucky: Topy America (Topy factory),
Denyo Manufacturing (Denyo/Itochu), Akebono Brake, Inoac
Visit to Woodford Reserve Distillery
Consul-General of Japan in Nashville, Masami Kinefuchi
JETRO New York, Chief Executive Director, Hirotoshi Tanaka

Governor Matt Bevin• We are grateful for the many Japanesefirms investing and creating jobs inKentucky.
• We are using our red tape reduction
initiative to make it easier for companies
to do business.
• On the trade front, the most criticalissue is to develop win-win relationships.

5Washington DC (Wed, May 17-Sat, May 20)
Congress:
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
U.S. House of Representatives Congressman, Joaquin
Castro (Co-Chair of the U.S.-Japan Caucus)
Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader, Tom Daschle
Former U.S. Congressman, Victor Fazio
House Committee on Ways and Means, Chief TradeCounsel, Angela Ellard
Administration:
Board of Councillors Vice Chair Haruo Murase
Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Patricia Haslach speaking at the US Chamber Invest in America!
USTR Senior Advisor, Timothy Reif2017 Summit
Deputy Assistant USTR, David Boling
Department of State, SelectUSA Executive Director,
Fred Volcansek
Chief Economist to the Vice President, Mark Calabria
Private sector:
Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), Vice President andManaging Director, Wendy Cutler
Americans for Tax Reform, President, Grover Norquist
USCIB Senior Vice President for Government Affairs andAmbassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
Public Policy, Rob Mulligan
Japan to the U.S. Kenichiro Sasae6

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi••••

I am extremely proud to have visited Hiroshima as
Speaker of the House and laid a wreath there.
The United States shares many interests withJapan—human rights and security, for example.
We welcome investment in the United States byJapanese companies. It is important to present
data on the benefit of the investment clearly.
The TPP’s lack of popularity was due to the manylabor and environmental issues that we had withother countries, not with Japan.

Democrat Congressman Joaquin Castro（Co-Chair of the U.S.-Japan Caucus)• The biggest concern at the moment is North Korea.
We are heartened by Japan-U.S. cooperation,
while also watching the Chinese response.
• The U.S.-Japan Caucus is making preparations forthe TPP 11 sought by Japan as well as the bilateralnegotiations as indicated by President Trump.
• We are currently focused on the renegotiation ofNAFTA, while also watching how seriously theTrump administration will approach bilateralnegotiations.

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Mission Summary• The mission managed to visit many key figures inthe three states and D.C., enjoying a warm welcome
as well as vigorous dialogue on the importance ofJapan-U.S. relations and the leadership roles which
Japan and the United States play in the Asia-Pacific.
• Everywhere the mission went, we heard nothing but
pro-business, pro-trade statements.
• In Washington D.C., there was clearly a strong drive
to create a business-friendly environment andencourage investment. Federal government officials
observed that while the United States pulled out ofthe TPP, the Trump administration is not anti-trade.

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To Build a More Resilient Japan-U.S.
Relationship…
• Send the chairman’s mission in the fall to visit more states
and create opportunities to highlight Keidanren’s position as
well as the contribution of Japanese companies to the U.S.
economy, not only to policy-makers, but also to broader
audience.
• Utilize the opportunities of the visits by U.S. federal and state
government officials to Japan to continue dialogue andpromote mutual understanding.
• Continue gathering information on policies that impact
Japanese companies’ business activities in the United States.
• Continue providing information on the contributions ofJapanese companies to the U.S.
• Enhance networking with the federal administration and theCongress.

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