Governor Gary Locke, America's first Chinese-American governor, will lead a trade mission to Asia in September.
Locke, who visited his ancestral home in China during his first term, has chosen Japan and South Korea for the first trade mission of his second term. He plans to promote two-way trade, tourism and foreign investment in the northeastern Washington state.
"Companies such as Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks and the Seattle Mariners [baseball team] are known throughout Japan and Korea," Locke said. "We hope to further raise awareness of Washington and our products and encourage even greater trade and tourism."
The trade mission, from Sept. 22-29, will include stops in Tokyo and Kobe, Japan, and Seoul, South Korea.
Locke and about 15 state government officials will be joined by about 20 business leaders, port officials, and agriculture and commodities representatives. The trip will cost about US$4,000 per person, with costs paid by the department each delegate works for.
It's Locke's second trip to Japan and his first to South Korea as governor. Both are important trading partners, he said.
"Washington state and Japan share a rich history," Locke said.
"For more than 100 years we have been trading partners. Today, Japan is our largest export market. We want to grow that relationship even more. From high tech to agriculture, Japan represents a huge market for Washington products."
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