OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee and Japan Ambassador to U.S. Kenichiro Sasae met today to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation to strengthen trade ties between Japan and the state of Washington.
“Today was a great opportunity to strengthen our already strong economic and trade partnerships,” Inslee said. “This memorandum will help boost exports of Washington state products to Japanese consumers and ensure greater cooperation on issues such as climate change and energy that go beyond state and national borders.”
In 2015, Japan was Washington state’s 3rd largest export market, with more than $5 billion in goods exports. The memorandum highlights opportunities for collaboration on aerospace, life sciences, clean energy, agriculture and information and communication technologies.
In addition, the memorandum encourages representatives of Japan and Washington state to look for opportunities to work together on joint projects related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and education and research opportunities in the life sciences, clean energy and aerospace.
