Global Atlanta’s coverage from the annual SEUS-Japan conference in Tokyo is sponsored by NFP:
NFP brings decades of experience helping Japanese companies thrive in international markets. With a deep understanding of Japanese business culture, precision, and relationship-driven values, we tailor risk management, employee benefits, and insurance solutions that align with your strategic goals. Whether your company has established operations or is just starting, NFP has a solution to fit your needs.
は、国際市場において日本企業の成功を支援してきた数十年にわたる豊富な実績を有しています。
私たちは、日本のビジネス文化や精密さ、信頼関係を重んじる価値観を深く理解し、
貴社の戦略的目標に沿ったリスクマネジメント、従業員福利厚生、保険ソリューションをオーダーメイドでご提供します。
すでに米国で事業を展開されている企業様はもちろん、これから米国進出をお考えの企業様に対しても、
NFPは貴社のご要望に即した最適なソリューションをご提案いたします。
YKK is the presenting sponsor of Global Atlanta's Japan Channel. Subscribe here for monthly Japan newsletters.
After taking up his post in Atlanta just two weeks ago, Kenichi Matsuda might be forgiven for skipping this year’s Southeast-U.S. Japan alliance conference in Tokyo.
But the new Japanese consul general, who covers four states including Georgia, figured that coming back home, ironically, would give him a better understanding of the region where he now lives.
“I must say that two weeks are not sufficient to learn about hte four states that our consulate covers,” Mr. Matsuda said during final remarks at the opening ceremony Wednesday. “Therefore, I was very much looking forward to joining this meeting, as that would be prime opportunity for newly hosted consul general to meet the key players from both Japan and the Southeast U.S. at once. And from the industrial tour I participated in yesterday and the conversations I had last night, I knew my instincts were right.”
His comments came after heads of delegation from each of seven states recounted their deep ties with Japan, rattling off investments installed over more than 50 years that employ hundreds of thousands, mainly in manufacturing.
Three groups were led by governors, including Georgia’s Brian Kemp, showing the importance many attach to the 47th annual meeting.
This year’s event was especially important given that it coincided with a visit by President Donald Trump, who was in Tokyo to iron out the details of a preliminary deal struck with Japan Sept. 4. The president met with newly installed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the first woman ever to take up the role.
Mr. Trump’s imposition of 25 percent tariffs on Japan’s cars and auto parts, in addition to levies on steel and aluminum, rocked the main sector driving investment in the Southeast, and the two sides were seeking a way to de-escalate.
For relief, Japan agreed to a 15 percent baseline tariff and hundreds of billions in energy purchases and investments. The deal announced during Mr. Trump’s visit, while touted by both sides as transformative, revealed that the $550 billion pledged was more of a maximum than a minimum, with the majority coming in the form of Japanese participation in American nuclear energy projects and investments in infrastructure for power generation and transmission.
Either way, Mr. Matsuda said he has seen many Japanese companies doubling down on their presence in the Southeast.
“This form of retention happens when businesses are satisfied with the business climate where they operate,” he said. “Your Southern hospitality must be one of the great secrets of success.”
Mr. Matsuda comes to Atlanta from Manila, Philippines, where he was deputy chief of mission at the Japanese embassy.
Before that, his more than 30-year career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs included overseas assignments largely concentrated in Europe, where he served at the Japanese embassy in Belgium in 2003, then went back to France as counselor in 2009. In 2016, he went to Germany with the role of minister, then back to France in 2020.
Interspersed were assignments leading the European policy division at the ministry, as well as stints in both the deputy and director roles in the United Nations Planning and Administration Division in 2007 and 2014, respectively.
Mr. Matsuda was acknowledged at a welcome reception for the 60-strong Georgia delegation, one of the largest among participating states. More than 500 delegates, including many from Japan, attended the two-day event. The fact that it was the largest showing in years
The new consul general was joined by his predecessor, Mio Maeda, and the consul general before both of them, Takashi Shinozuka, who retains a connection to Georgia by working with the Pendleton Group to help drive investment and interaction with Peachtree Corners.
See more about the new consul general in his full CV below:
Consul-General-Kenichi-Matsuda-Bio
The Dean Rusk International Law Center at the University of Georgia is the presenting sponsor of Global Atlanta's Diplomacy Channel. Subscribe here for monthly Diplomacy newsletters.