May 16, 2006

Jobs Diary, Day 1

Since I took office, I’ve said I will “go anywhere and do anything” to bring jobs to Michigan. That commitment has brought me to Japan for the second time in 10 months to bring jobs back home.

We arrived late yesterday, slightly jet-lagged but happy to be back in Tokyo. Japanese companies have invested in Michigan, and it is an honor to be able to pay them a visit on behalf of our citizens to say thank you. It’s rainy here…but my kids tell me it’s still raining at home, so I feel connected.

Today (Tuesday), after a quick breakfast of toast and coffee (The sushi looks terrific, but I’m a “meat and potatoes” kind of person…especially for breakfast!) and a briefing on the day’s meetings with our economic team, we were off to meet with nine different companies. Some are companies I sat down with last year when I was in Japan. Some were new. Good business deals are built on solid relationships and these meetings are all about building and strengthening relationships. I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces and exchanging a lot of new business cards – tradition and relationships are so important in this culture.

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Ambassador Karita

Granholm meets with Hitachi executives to encourage them to grow jobs in Michigan

Morning Briefing with team

Granholm meets with Japanese executives to sell them on a michigan as a place to do business

May 16, 2006 Japan