On Thursday, December 14th, 2023, the governors of Toyama and Oregon held an online meeting to further strengthen future exchanges between state and prefecture.
Toyama’s Governor Nitta first visited Oregon in 1991, and has since returned over 10 times, making many friends in the state and building bonds that have lasted throughout the years. He spoke on how meaningful deepening Toyama-Oregon exchanges is, and asked for Governor Kotek’s support for two dispatch programs that will take place this year: one for university students in February to learn about Portland’s entrepreneurship and business, and one for high school students in March.
Oregon’s Governor Kotek, who first came to Japan for a study abroad exchange in 1992, spending 8 weeks in Mino City, Gifu, spoke on how much she looked forward to the visits from Toyama high school and university students due to her experiences supporting international students who required English assistance during her time at the University of Oregon.
Governor Nitta additionally mentioned his desire for him and Governor Kotek to mutually inspire one another and lead their prefecture and state, touching on recent actions based on the relationship of trust between the two that have been taken to deepen exchanges between Toyama and Oregon at the working level. He also expressed his gratitude for the Oregon exhibit at the Toyama General Manufacturing Industry Trade Fair (T-Messe) held in 2023. Finally, he spoke about creating a win-win relationship in the fields of economics, personnel exchange, and tourism based on the Memorandum of Understanding between Toyama and Oregon.
As this was Governor Kotek’s first opportunity to speak with Governor Nitta, she noted the similarities between Toyama and Oregon in their focus on manufacturing, as well as her interest in having further exchanges, particularly to continue promoting agreements made in the MOU passed on by her predecessor.
We are looking forward to someday welcoming Governor Kotek to Toyama and are grateful to her for her support of Toyama-Oregon relations.
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