Joint Statement
30th Annual Joint Meeting
Southeast U.S./Japan Association &
Japan-U.S. Southeast Association
October 22-24, 2006
Rosen Shingle Creek Resort
Orlando, Florida

The 30th Annual Joint Meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan Association and the Japan-U.S. Southeast Association returned this year to Orlando, Florida for a third time with the theme of “Building on Three Decades of Success.” Delegations of each the seven Southeast U.S. (SEUS) member’s states and Japan convened in Orlando, Florida October 22-24, 2006 at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort; total attendance was approximately 600, including some 480 delegates from form SEUS and 120 delegates from Japan. The Chairmen presiding over the meeting were SEUS Chairman Thomas F. Petway, III and Japan Chairman Taizo Nishimuro. Distinguished guests in attendance included the Honorable Yoshinobu Ishikawa, Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, The Honorable Akitaka Saiki, Charge d’Affaires ad interim, Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC, and the Honorable Masakazu Toshikage, Consul General of Japan in Miami. Also present was the incoming Japan chair, Mr. Hiromasa Yonekura, President of Sumitomo Chemical and the respective Japanese Consuls General of Atlanta and New Orleans. The Honorable Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, served as official host of this year’s joint meeting.
2
Chairman Petway noted during the opening session: “Florida is truly pleased to once again have the once in a 14-year honor and privilege to host this prestigious annual joint meeting. True to the theme of this year’s 30th Joint Meeting, we feel strongly that we are indeed building on three decades of progress and once again come together to renew existing friendships and establish new ones that will further expand the economic, trade, investment, tourism, cultural, educational and friendship ties between our great region and the great nation of Japan.” We were honored this year by the presence of: the Honorable Jeb Bush, Governor, State of Florida; the Honorable Timothy M. Kaine, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia; Honorable Neal Wade, Secretary of Commerce, State of Alabama; the Honorable Craig Lesser, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, State of Georgia; The Honorable James T. Fain, III, Secretary of Commerce, the State of North Carolina; the Honorable Joe E. Taylor, Secretary of Commerce, State of South Carolina; and the Honorable Matthew H. Kisber, Commissioner, the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development. The first plenary session on Monday, October 23, “Outlook & Trends–Japan & U.S. Markets” consisted of keynote presentations by Mr. Taizo Nishimuro, Advisor to the Board of Toshiba Corp. and President & CEO of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and Mr. Craig Parsons, Vice President, International Travel Industry Sales and Marketing, Walt Disney World Co. Breakout sessions on “Investment Opportunities for Japan in the Southeast US,” “Trade & Physical Distribution Logistics,” “Investment Opportunities for the Southeast U.S. in Japan,” and “The Future of Tourism” were held in the afternoon of October 23. Each session included speakers from Japan and the Southeast U.S., and provided attendees the opportunity to ask questions and share ideas.
3
The second plenary session, held on the morning of Tuesday, October 24, addressed “U.S.-Japan Cultural Exchange”, moderated by Ms. Sibille Pritchard, Chairperson of Florida Delegation, Southeast U.S./Japan Association, and featured a presentation by Ms. Shigeko Honda, Director of the Jikei American Center, the University of West Florida along with closing remarks by Florida First Lady Columba Bush. The October 24 program also included a panel session on “Japanese Companies in the Southeast U.S: Diversity and Uniqueness.” The closing sessions included a special presentation by Ambassador Howard Baker, former U.S. ambassador to Japan with the participation of Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and concluded with closing remarks by the respective Consuls General of Atlanta and New Orleans, Japan Chairman Taizo Nishimuro and SEUS Chairman Thomas F. Petway, III. The meeting was adjourned on October 24th with the agreement that the 31st Annual Joint Meeting will be held in Tokyo at the Imperial Hotel, October 14-16, 2007 under the leadership of the new Japan chairman, Mr. Hiromasa Yonekura.