Opening Ceremony of the 60th Japan-U.S. Business Conference

[Provisional translation]

On October 3, 2023, Prime Minister Kishida attended the opening ceremony of the 60th Japan-U.S. Business Conference and gave an address as a guest speaker.
 
Prime Minister Kishida noted that the Japan-U.S. Business Council has continuously made significant contributions to strengthening bilateral economic relations between the two countries for more than half a century. Prime Minister Kishida also stated that Japan has been the world's largest investor in the U.S. for four consecutive years and the amount of direct investment in the U.S. by Japanese companies has more than doubled in the last decade, and that the number of jobs created by Japanese companies across the U.S. has reached 960,000. Prime Minister Kishida also mentioned that the private sector in both Japan and the U.S. plays a significant role as the cornerstone of the robust Japan-U.S. relations, while referring to Japan’s efforts to revitalize its economy through “New Form of Capitalism,” which Prime Minister Kishida had recently reiterated in the remarks to the Economic Club of New York.
 
In addition, Prime Minister Kishida further stated that Japan and the U.S. have a responsibility to take the lead in exerting leadership in realizing sustainable growth, peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and pointed out the importance of U.S. involvement in the regional economic order. Prime Minister Kishida expressed his hope for active discussions at the Japan-U.S. Business Conference on Japan-U.S. cooperation for the resilience of the Indo-Pacific region.
 
(Reference)The Japan-U.S. Business Conference
The Japan-U.S. Business Conference was established in 1961 to promote mutual understanding through dialogue between Japanese and U.S. private sectors. The 60th Japan-U.S. Business Conference is held from October 3 to 4 in Tokyo.