Chattanooga Chamber Seminar on Doing Business with Japan
The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and representatives of Kitakyushu, Japan will present a free seminar on doing business with Japan on July 27.
“This seminar is designed for businesses interested in exploring international markets and/or partnering with Japanese companies interested in doing business in the Chattanooga region,” said Trevor Hamilton, Chamber vice president of economic development.
The seminar will focus on potential business matchmaking opportunities with Japanese companies and market opportunities with a particular focus on
• New energy industry-related fields (solar power generation, wind power generation, etc.)
• Green building industry-related fields (eco-houses, eco-building materials, energy-efficient building materials, etc.)
• Environmental recycling industry-related fields (recycling of building waste, etc.)
• Electric automobile and hybrid vehicle industry-related fields (high precision parts, electric automobile system-related matters, etc.)
• Power plant-related facilities (valve equipment, apparatus components, etc.)
The Chamber has formed a partnership with Kitakyushu to encourage and facilitate trade between Chattanooga and Japan. The partnership is also designed to lead to local business opportunities in developing countries in Asia.
“As part of this relationship, the Chamber is pleased to be hosting a delegation from Kitakyushu,” Hamilton said. “The purpose of the visit is to develop mutually beneficial business partnerships between our two cities. The delegates are especially interested in meeting and eventually forming partnerships with companies in the environmental and energy sectors.”
The Chamber-Kitakyushu business exchange program was created under the auspices of the JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) Regional Industry Tie-Up (RIT) project that promotes and financially assists two-way industrial exchange and collaboration between regions in Japan and other countries. The aim is facilitating business relations to create new industries and stimulate business in participating regions.
“Kitakyushu is a progressive city of about one million residents with a growing international reputation,” Hamilton said. “During the first half of the 20th Century it was a steelworks manufacturing town that, like Chattanooga, began a revitalization in the 1980s. While heavy manufacturing is still important there, the city has moved into automobile, semiconductor and environment-related industries.”
Indeed, Kitakyushu is among the world’s leading environmental cities. In 1992 it was one of 12 world cities given a Local Government Honors Award at the United Nations Earth Summit, and in 2008 it was selected by the Japanese government as one of six Environmental Model Cities in Japan.
Located in southwestern Japan an hour and a half from Tokyo and Shanghai, Kitakyushu enjoys strategic status as a gateway to Asia – where many U.S. businesses would like to establish commercial footholds.
The seminar on trade with Japan will begin at 8 a.m. on July 27 in the Chamber Board Room. Seating is limited. Attendees are asked to RSVP by noon on July 26 to 423.763.4369 or dbeecher@chattanoogachamber.com.
The event is made possible through the Chattanooga Area Chamber and Kitakyushu business exchange, JETRO Kitakyushu and the Trade Promotion Division of the City of Kitakyushu.
