Importance and Value of FDI in Arizona for Japanese Companies

The Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles collaborated with Global Chamber® in LA, Phoenix and Tokyo to present a special virtual program between Japan and US businesses on "Importance and Value of FDI in Arizona for Japanese Companies".

ウェビナー：アリゾナにおけるFDIの重要性と日系企業の活躍.

Watch the program HERE.

Participating Japanese firms included MUFG Union Bank, IRIS USA and Yokogawa Electric.

The companies exchanged information with regional leaders including Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego for the benefit of Japanese firms looking for new foreign direct investment opportunities.

They shared surprises they received after landing in Arizona - including the ease of hiring, the availability of talented people and hiking on Mt. Lemon!

Please contact us for more information or to connect with the experts.

Agenda / Welcome

- Doug Bruhnke - Founder/CEO at Global Chamber® (1 minute)

- Kelly Moeur - Honorary Consul for Japan in Arizona (3 minutes)

Opening Remarks

- Consul General Akira Muto (3 minutes)

Role of Foreign Direct Investment in Arizona (10 minutes)

- Sanjeev Khagram - Director General & Dean at Thunderbird School of Global Management, ASU

Business Opportunities Across Arizona (10 minutes)

- U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (by video)

- U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (by audio and slide show)

- Sandra Watson - President & CEO at Arizona Commerce Authority (by video)

Business Proposition on investment in Metro Phoenix + "Phoenix Global Rising"

- Mayor Kate Gallego - City of Phoenix (5 minutes)

- Chris Camacho - President & CEO (5 minutes)

Business Activities of Japanese Companies in Arizona (3 X 8 minutes each)

- Yuichi Mitsumori - Head of Japanese Corporate Banking (West) MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

- Ryan Anderson - VP of E-Commerce with intro by Hiroyuki Takahashi - President at IRIS USA

- Dr. Yasuhiro Matsui - Project Manager, R&D at Yokogawa Electric

Panel / Q&A / Discussion (20 min)

• Moderated by Doug Bruhnke, includes questions for the audience.
• Featuring Yuichi Mitsumori, Ryan Anderson, Dr. Yasuhiro Matsui, Dean Sanjeev Khagram, Chris Camacho, and Kelly Moeur.

Closing Remarks

- Consul General Muto and Doug Bruhnke

Message from Consul General Muto

As the Consul General of Japan in Los Angeles, I would like to greet the residents of Southern California and Arizona.

My past overseas postings have taken me to Russia (Moscow) twice, and in the U.S., to Washington D.C., and Boston. Aside from my time as a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, this will mark my first time working in the state of California. I am greatly honored to be able to serve as consul general in a region with such deep ties to Japan, and look forward to wonderful new encounters that may differ from those during my time as Consul General of Japan in Boston.

Senator Kyrsten Sinema

Kyrsten is the Senior U.S. Senator for the State of Arizona.

She knows firsthand the challenges everyday Arizonans face. Born in Tucson, Kyrsten went through some tough times growing up. Her family struggled to make ends meet, and for a while they were even homeless. But they got by thanks to family, church, and hard work. Kyrsten’s childhood experience showed her the power of hard work and the importance of helping others.

Education was Kyrsten’s ticket to a better life. With the help of student loans, academic scholarships, and financial aid, she went to BYU and then ASU, where she now teaches as a proud Sun Devil.

After graduating, she worked with students and families in Arizona who faced some of the same challenges she did. Kyrsten’s commitment to service led her to the Arizona Legislature, where she passed a law to help veterans get in–state tuition at all Arizona public universities, cracked down on sex trafficking, and advocated for children’s health care and education.

Now as Arizona's senior Senator, Kyrsten works every day to deliver for Arizona families – helping veterans get the benefits they’ve earned, creating good–paying jobs for Arizonans, and keeping Americans safe at home and abroad. Kyrsten feels a duty to serve and give back to the communities and country that gave her so much. She got her shot at the American dream, and she’ll keep working to make sure all Arizonans get theirs too.

Senator Mark Kelly

Mark is U.S. Senator for the State of Arizona.

Senator Kelly is the son of two police officers, and he attended public schools from elementary school through the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. As a naval aviator, he served on the aircraft carrier the U.S.S. Midway and flew 39 combat missions in Operation Desert Storm. Senator Kelly was later selected as an astronaut in 1996 in the same class as his twin brother Scott. He flew his first of four missions into space in 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour and retired from the Navy and NASA after commanding the final flight of Endeavour in 2011. Senator Kelly was sworn into his Senate seat on December 2, 2020 to finish the term of the late Senator John McCain. He lives in Tucson with his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

Mayor Kate Gallego

Mayor Kate Gallego has spent her career working to find solutions to complex problems. Prior to being elected as Mayor, she served for five years as the City Councilwoman for District 8, a large district covering much of South Phoenix. Her record of proven results includes leading the campaign to pass Phoenix's citywide transportation plan through 2050 and working to ensure equal pay for equal work.

While on the council, Mayor Gallego helped make Phoenix a leader in job creation and worked with police and firefighters to improve public safety and make neighborhoods more secure.

In March 2019, Mayor Gallego became the second elected female Mayor in Phoenix history and the youngest big-city Mayor in the United States. Mayor Gallego is passionate about building a Phoenix that works for everyone, including her two-year-old son, Michael, and she led the effort to partner with AARP to make Phoenix a city where seniors can thrive. She believes everyone should have access to cutting edge medical care and has led on expanding Phoenix's biomedical campus. Mayor Gallego is working to grow the city's economy, create jobs, and stand up for the city's core values.

Prior to being elected Mayor to the city that she loves, Mayor Gallego worked on Strategic Planning and Economic Development for the utility company, Salt River Project. She worked to attract new companies and jobs to Phoenix. Mayor Gallego graduated from Harvard University and earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Sanjeev Khagram

Sanjeev is the Director General and Dean of Thunderbird School of Global Management.

He is a world-renowned scholar and practitioner in the areas of globalization, transnationalism, leadership, strategic management, entrepreneurship, social enterprise, cross-sector innovation, public-private partnerships, inter-organizational networks, good governance, transparency, the global political economy, sustainable development, human security, and the data revolution. He holds a bachelor's in development studies and engineering, a master's degree and doctoral degree minor in economics and doctorate in political economy, all from Stanford.

Dean Khagram has worked extensively with global start-ups, corporations, governments, civil society groups, multilateral organizations, cross-sectoral action networks, public-private partnerships, foundations, professional associations and universities all over the world from the local to the international levels. He has lived and worked for extended periods in Brazil, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, Germany and the United Kingdom. Khagram is of Asian Indian heritage, a Hindu, and a refugee from Idi Amin’s Uganda, which brought him to the United States in 1973 via refugee camps in Italy. He is the proud father of two sons.

Chris Camacho

Chris is President and CEO at Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC).

He is a proven leader with more than 15 years in executive management roles, Chris Camacho serves as the President & CEO at one of the longest standing public-private partnerships for economic development across the country. He previously served as the organization’s Executive Vice President.

During his tenure, GPEC has led the attraction of more than 414 companies creating 74,000+ jobs and $11 billion in capital investment. Some of the more notable projects include Apple, Deloitte, Infosys, Creighton Medical School, Silicon Valley Bank, Zenefits, GoDaddy, Yelp, Amazon, Garmin, General Motors and many others.

He oversees the domestic and international business development and market strategies while serving as GPEC’s executive leader in community interactions. He has particular expertise in emerging technology, tax policy and international economic development. Since 2008, he has taken an active role in addressing the region’s competitiveness position on cost and taxation.

Sandra Watson

Sandra is President and CEO at Arizona Commerce Authority.

Sandra Watson brings more than 20 years of economic development leadership experience to Arizona. She and her teams have successfully attracted to Arizona more than 750 companies that have committed to invest nearly $10 billion in capital and create more than 125,000 jobs.

During her tenure with the Arizona Department of Commerce, and now the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Ms. Watson served in multiple positions with increasing responsibilities and results. She has the led Business Attraction, Business Development, Innovation & Technology, Workforce and Marketing divisions. She served as the Executive Director on the Governor’s Council of Innovation & Technology in advancing the state’s Innovation and Technology roadmap.

Ms. Watson began her career in Canada and brings not only a wealth of knowledge on the regional, state and national levels but can execute effectively on an international scale.

Yuichi Mitsumori

Mr. Mitsumori is Head of Japanese Corporate Banking (West), MUFG Union Bank, N.A.; Head of Los Angeles Branch, MUFG Bank; President, JBA; Board Member, JANM.

Yuichi Mitsumori has been Head of Japanese Corporate Banking (West) at MUFG Union Bank, N.A. as well as Head of Los Angeles Branch at MUFG Bank, covering Japanese institutional clients in West Coast. He is President of Japan Business Association of Southern California, and also serves on the Board of Governors of Japanese American National Museum and Board of Directors of Japan America Society of Southern California. Prior to his arrival in Los Angeles in June 2019, Mr. Mitsumori spent two and a half years in New York as Deputy Chief of Staff for MUFG’s operations in the Americas region, following a number of managerial roles in Tokyo, London, and Singapore. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Babson College in Massachusetts, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Keio University.

Hiroyuki Takahashi

Takahashi san is President at IRIS USA.

Hiroyuki (Doc) Takahashi graduated from Tohoku University with an undergraduate degree in chemistry. He joined IRIS Ohyama in Sendai, Japan in 1998. At IRIS Ohyama, he was able to work hands on in many different departments, such as marketing, sales, R&D, and business planning. He continued to rise through the ranks until he became President of IRIS USA in 2018. He has grown with the company from their beginnings in plastic storage, through their innovations in home appliances today.

Ryan Anderson

Ryan is Vice President of E-Commerce at IRIS USA.

Ryan Anderson is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Ecommerce Retail business at IRIS USA Inc., in Surprise, AZ. He has been a sales and marketing change agent leader for the last 20 years with various CPG companies, from Fortune 500 companies, Multi-National companies, and several start-ups. He has worked and lived in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Illinois, as well as lived in the Philippines for several years. Ryan received his Masters of Business/Marketing from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, after which he returned to work as an adjunct professor in marketing. He earned his undergraduate BS in Marketing and International Business from Boise State University.

Dr. Yasuhiro Matsui

Dr. Matsui is Project Manager, R&D at Yokogawa.

Dr. Yasuhiro Matsui received his doctorate in urban engineering from The University of Tokyo and Japanese professional engineering license for Water Supply & Industrial Water Supply. He was involving in global water environment businesses over 20 years. Engaged in seawater desalination, groundwater development, and water treatment & supply projects in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. He is a director of the Japan Desalination Association since 2016. He was Vice President of METAWATER USA, INC, in charge of R&D department for business development and International Business Division since 2014. He has been Yokogawa Electric Corporation since April 2019 in the Research & Development, Innovation Center of Market Division, and examining the Semi-Autonomous Operation principles for use within potable water reuse facilities.​

Kelly Moeur - Honorary Consul for Japan in Arizona

Doug Bruhnke

Doug is Founder/CEO at Global Chamber®.

Doug is a global entrepreneur dedicated to helping leaders successfully reach new markets with less risk across 525 metros - everywhere! He is a two-time expat with Dupont in Tokyo and Singapore with over 30 years of global business experience in nearly all countries and segments. Doug is also regional advisor for U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and a member of global groups including Arizona District Export Council. He has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Utah and an EMBA from Michigan State University, and is co-inventor on 5 patents. Doug was born in Mt. Kisco, New York and is now based in Scottsdale, Arizona and Palo Alto, California. He and his wife of 39 years are most proud of their daughter, a nurse practitioner at Stanford Health Care. Hear the Global Chamber® story here.

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The Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles exclusively serves the state of Arizona and Southern California (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties).

Global Chamber® is a growing and collaborating community of CEOs, executives and leaders in 525 metro regions around the world... connecting member businesses to new opportunities and advancing growth and success. It's the only chamber of commerce in the world operating in hundreds of locations that helps exporting, importing and investing members to connect through warm introductions to clients, partners, projects and resources. Global Chamber® is a registered trademark of Global Chamber, LLC.