On September 11, 2017, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe received a courtesy call from the Hon. Eric Holcomb, Governor of Indiana; the Hon. Bruce Rauner, Governor of Illinois; the Hon. Pete Ricketts, Governor of Nebraska; the Hon. Rick Snyder, Governor of Michigan; and the Hon. Scott Walker, Governor of Wisconsin, of the United States, and others, at the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Prime Minister said in his address,

“I would like to welcome the Governors of Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, Michigan, and Wisconsin to Japan.

Each of the Governors in attendance, as well as people involved with the activities of the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association here today, are constantly working to strengthen relations between Japan and the United States. In particular, I wish to express my respect as the Prime Minister of Japan for your efforts to create conditions to encourage investment by Japanese companies. I hope that this visit will further deepen the economic ties between Japan and each of your states.

I am very proud to say that the activities of Japanese companies do not just help to energize each of your local economies through investment and the jobs they create, but they also help to strengthen Japan-U.S. relations. I would like to thank Mr. Yuzaburo Mogi, Honorary CEO and Chairman of the Board of Kikkoman Corporation, who serves as the Japanese Chair of the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association and who has worked very hard in that capacity to facilitate active exchanges of views with the Japanese business community during the Governors’ visit to Japan.

I hope to hear your opinions today on how we can strengthen the Japan-U.S. relationship further. I will place great importance not only on the opinions of people in Washington DC, but also the opinions of people from regions throughout the United States. Thank you.”