Summary
Governor to join business leaders and state officials in visit to promote further state relations with Japanese counterparts
Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker has announced he plans to join a trade delegation from the state to Japan, joining various business, education, and government leaders. During the course of their visit, the delegation will meet with counterparts in Tokyo to discuss enhancing economic cooperation between the State of Illinois and Japan.
Programming throughout the mission will focus on clean energy, manufacturing, life sciences, quantum, and other key growth industries for the state.
Japan, a close trade partner of the United States, maintains deep economic ties with the state of Illinois: in 2023, exports from Illinois to Japan totaled over $2.59 billion, placing the Prairie State in the top 5 for exporters to the island country. Japan is the state’s 8th largest export market, with Illinois being Japan’s 6th global largest import market when evaluated separate from the other 50 states. Japan invests heavily in the export-heavy state economy, with a major focus for the over 600 Japanese companies operating in the state being high-skill manufacturing such as in the automotive sector.
“Japan is one of Illinois’ largest trading partners,” as Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch explained. “This trip aims to help strengthen our mutually beneficial economic relationship. Illinois is a world-class leader in the clean energy revolution, quantum research, and manufacturing. We have one of the most robust and productive workforces in the Midwest and we will continue to position ourselves as the best place to welcome more business, investment, and innovation. I look forward to joining Governor Pritzker and leaders from across our state as we further cultivate our economic relationship with Japan, while also fostering new and valuable connections.”
Those joining Governor Pritzker on the trade mission include:
- Senate President Don Harmon
- House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch
- Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Cunningham
- House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel
- Anne Caprara, Chief of Staff of the Governor’s Office
- Andy Manar, Deputy Governor
- Grace Hou, Deputy Governor
- Martin Torres, Deputy Governor
- Sean Rapelyea, Senior Advisor for External Affairs, Governor’s Office
- Claire Lindberg, First Assistant Deputy Governor, Governor’s Office
- Connor Josellis, Director of the Executive Office of the Governor
- Tina Yan, Deputy Chief of Staff, Digital Media, Governor’s Office
- Clare O’Neill, Senior Director of Advance, Governor’s Office
- Morgan Evans, Senior Advancer, Governor’s Office
- Kristin Richards, Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Cas Peters, Chief Business Attraction Officer of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
- Christy George, President and CEO of Intersect Illinois
- John Atkinson, Board Chair of Intersect Illinois and Managing Director and Chairman of Marsh Chicago
- Paulina San Millan, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Intersect Illinois
- Preeti Chalsani, Chief Quantum Officer of Intersect Illinois
- David Awschalom, Director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange
- Curt Bailey, President of Related Midwest
- Rashid Bashir, Dean of UIUC Grainger College of Engineering
- William Cox, Senior Vice President of AISIN
- Wendell Dallas, President and CEO of Nicor Gas
- Kara Demirjian Huss, Senior Vice President of TCCI
- Mark Denzler, President and CEO of Illinois Manufacturers’ Association
- Kaitlin Fahey, CEO and Founding Partner of Magnify Strategies
- Michael Fassnacht, Chief Growth Officer and President of Clayco Chicagoland
- Chris Gladwin, Chair at P33 and CEO of Ocient
- Michael Jacobson, President and CEO of Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association
- Harley Johnson, Director of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park
- Regina Jones, Sr. Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of ADM
- Robert Karr, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP
- Dan Lynch, Vice President of Government Affairs at United Airlines
- Nadya Mason, Dean of Pritzker School of Engineering and Interim Vice President for Partnerships at University of Chicago
- Bill Mastoris, President of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas
- Christian Mitchell, Vice President for Civic Engagement at University of Chicago
- Takashi O’Haru, President of White Cube LLC
- Meredith O’Connor, International Director of JLL
- Eric Perreault, Vice President for Research at Northwestern University
- Dwayne Pickett, Vice President of Clean Hydrogen Market Development at Constellation
- Barton Pitts, Vice President of Business Development at Nexamp Solar
- Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of ComEd
- Meera Raja, SVP of Deep Tech at P33
- Jim Reynolds, Chairman and CEO of Loop Capital
- Josh Richman, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at PsiQuantum
- Smita N. Shah, CEO of SPAAN Tech Inc
- Lenny Singh, Chairman and President of Ameren Illinois
“When I became Governor, I promised to be our state’s best Chief Marketing Officer—sharing with any and all global partners that Illinois is the best place to live, work, and do business,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Over the course of next week, I couldn’t be more excited to meet with local and international leaders in Japan—highlighting our state’s many accomplishments and ambitious goals across sectors like education, clean energy, manufacturing, and business.”
Many business leaders commended the governor on his plan to join the delegation.
Brett Hart, President of United Airlines, said, “United applauds Governor Pritzker’s trade mission to Japan. As Illinois’ hometown carrier, we are proud of our more than 40-year legacy of service to Japan. Today, we offer more seats to Japan from across the country than any other carrier, facilitating trade, economic development and tourism between our two great nations.”
“Illinois is a global powerhouse with a GDP that would place them in the top 20 if the state was its own country—and that’s not even including the regional benefits of establishing a presence in a manufacturing hub with excellent infrastructure that connects to every part of the United States,” said Jim Reynolds, CEO of Loop Capital. “As an investment firm, we value businesses that understand international cooperation and are always looking for new clients and resources, and this trade mission will give numerous Illinois companies an opportunity to do exactly that.”
“There’s a reason Nexamp picked Illinois for our second global headquarters—we see how Governor Pritzker’s administration has invested in business and innovation over the last few years and how our shared commitment to a cleaner, more equitable energy system is having an impact in Illinois and around the globe,” said Nexamp CEO Zaid Ashai. “Nexamp is grateful to Governor Pritzker for recognizing the importance of continued partnership between the US and Japan and is honored to be a voice of clean energy on this trade trip. Nexamp is fortunate to have cultivated a strong partnership with Mitsubishi to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future, and we look forward to deepening these collaborations for the benefit of both nations and the world.”
“As Illinois focuses on the high growth potential in areas of advance manufacturing, quantum computing and clean energy, we are honored to join and engage with leaders at the international level in Japan to showcase all that Illinois’ economy has to offer on a global scale,” said Kristin Richards, Director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. “We are dedicated to continuing our long-standing relationship with our Japanese partners to expand opportunities and build on our collaborative success.”