Japan

Diplomatic Digest: Turnover in Atlanta’s Consular Corps During 2019

Atlanta’s diplomatic wheel kept spinning in 2019, with new arrivals in two key postings, a handover of the deanship and the addition of yet another country to the now 70-plus that have representation here. Shane Stephens, consul general of Ireland, earlier this year became the longest-serving member of the corps, succeeding Peru’s Miguel Aleman in the deanship, which […]

Japan

Griffin Nets Fifth Japanese Manufacturer in Six Years

It’s easy being green, apparently. Auto parts manufacturer Mitsui Kinzoku Die-Casting Technology America Inc. will become the fifth Japanese company to set up shop in The Lakes at Green Valley, a seemingly contradictory blend of natural landscape, eco-friendly architecture and industrial park in Griffin, Ga. The development has proven irresistible to Japanese firms landing in […]

Japan: A Living Lab for Coca-Cola’s Beverage Evolution

For John Murphy, the business lessons from living in Japan couldn’t have been more instructive. The Coca-Cola Co. executive vice president and chief financial officer spent nearly a decade in the country in two separate stints, first in the early 1990s, and then from 2000-05, with many trips during and since. It’s now a second […]

Fresh Off Hosting SEUS-Japan Summit, Georgia Wins Japanese Auto Parts Factory

Fresh off a conference meant to underline ties between Japan and Southern U.S. states, another Japanese automotive supplier announced new plans to enter Georgia. Nippon Light Metal Georgia will invest $50 million to set up a new plant in Adairsville, Ga., in Bartow County, planning for 110 jobs and long-term growth. Company leaders broke ground […]

Commentary: New Japanese Consul General Arrives to Full Slate of Business, Cultural Activities

Editor’s note: Al Hodge, a professional economic developer with more than 40 years’ experience, is set to contribute his unique perspective on fostering trade and recruiting foreign investment with a new series of columns for Global Atlanta. Mr. Hodge writes about Georgia’s role in trade conversations, global issues and how the state can better foster […]

Japan

What a New Imperial Era in Japan Means for Georgia

Bernice King Honored as Citizen of Seoul as King Center Hosts International Expo

On a steamy Saturday afternoon Aug. 10 attendees at the Beloved Community International Expo held at the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, including four consuls general based in Atlanta, witnessed a huge bowl of “bibimbap” being cooked symbolizing the harmonious coming together of the city’s different communities. “Bibimbap is a popular Korean cuisine — […]

Japan

Japan-Backed Factory in South Georgia Aims to Offset Glass Bottle Imports

Arglass Yamamura LLC, a joint venture between a New York investment firm and a Japanese glass manufacturer, is investing $123 million to build a new plant in south Georgia with the goal of hiring 150 people, Gov. Brian Kemp’s office announced Thursday. Site work on the plant in Valdosta is already under way with the startup of the […]

Georgia Reaffirms Oldest Japanese State Partnership

Georgia’s relationship with Japan may stretch back to 1853, when a state official joined the first U.S. trade delegation to the country, but it took another century for ties to truly blossom into a formalized partnership. That dimension began in 1966 when then-Gov. Carl Sanders signed a sister-state relationship with Kagoshima prefecture, the southernmost of […]

Georgia Foreign Trade Zone Program Benefits Japanese Companies (and Thousands of Their Local Employees)

Editor’s note: This commentary piece was written by Julie Brown, CEO of Georgia Foreign Trade Zone. Few bilateral economic relationships are as important to Georgia’s economy as its ties to Japan. Since the 1970s, the Peach State has repeatedly shown its friends in Tokyo that Georgia is a hub for investment and business opportunities. Our […]

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