Barbour leads trade delegation to Japan

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

JACKSON --

Gov. Haley Barbour left today for a five-day trip to Japan, where he and state economic-development leaders will try to attract automotive suppliers to Mississippi.

 

It is Barbour's third trip to Japan since he became governor in January 2004. He is set to return Friday.

The aim this time is to lure suppliers to work with a Toyota plant that's being built in northeast Mississippi, at Blue Springs near Tupelo.

On Thursday, Barbour and officials from the Mississippi Development Authority are scheduled to conduct an "Invest in Mississippi" seminar in Nagoya. The delegation also will have meetings with other companies.

"Working with Japanese business leaders has proven very productive, resulting in new, better-paying, higher-skilled jobs for Mississippians," Barbour, a Republican who is seeking re-election this year, said in a news release Monday. "I intend to showcase all of the reasons that make Mississippi a solid investment for Japanese companies."

Also participating in the trade trip are MDA executive director Gray Swoope; Aubrey Patterson of Tupelo, chairman of the Mississippi Partnership for Economic Development; and Dennis Cuneo, counsel for Arent Fox LLP.

Cuneo is a former Toyota senior vice president and was a consultant for Toyota during the company's site-selection process for its new auto assembly plant in North America. Officials announced in February that the northeast Mississippi site had been chosen.

The Toyota plant will have 2,000 jobs and is set to begin production of the Highland sport utility vehicle by 2010.

The Toyota facility will be Mississippi's second auto manufacturing plant. Nissan opened a plant near Canton in 2003, when Democrat Ronnie Musgrove was governor.

Swoope said Barbour and others have worked hard to build a strong economic relationship with Japan. He said that with the seminar on Thursday, "we want to build on those ties by highlighting the benefits our state can offer Japanese investors."