RALEIGH: North Carolina will welcome Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and a delegation of Japanese dignitaries and media members for a historic State visit. The Prime Minister and his wife, Yuko Kishida, will join the Coopers for a State luncheon on April 12th at the Executive Mansion and for several events across the state. The North Carolina trip will follow a White House State Dinner hosted by President Biden. This will be a historic trip for a sitting head-of-state to visit North Carolina and emphasizes the deep relationship between the state and Japan.

Governor Cooper visited Tokyo in 2023 to participate in the Southeast US/Japan Economic Partnership Conference and has continued to work to recruit new Japanese business investment to North Carolina. Japan is the largest source of foreign direct investment in North Carolina.

“We are honored and excited for the opportunity to host Prime Minister Kishida and Mrs. Kishida, and we welcome them and their delegation to our beautiful state,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “This historic trip will strengthen the already thriving economic, cultural and academic relationships between North Carolina and Japan."

Since taking office, Governor Cooper’s sustained engagement with Japanese leaders and employers has paid dividends for North Carolina’s economy. From his trips to Tokyo in 2017 and 2023 to hosting the SEUS/Japan Conference in Charlotte next fall, Governor Cooper has made it a priority to build lasting relationships between North Carolina and Japanese business leaders and recruit good-paying jobs in high-growth industries like aerospace, electric vehicles and biotechnology.

More information will be available next week on events with the Japanese delegation and opportunities for media coverage.