By Hannah Meisel and Andrew Adams
Illinois governor JB Pritzker is set to join state legislative and business leaders on a trade mission to Japan next week to explore clean energy, manufacturing, life sciences, quantum, and other “key growth industries,” according to the governor’s office.
Members of the delegation will meet with their counterparts in Tokyo to discuss strengthening economic ties between the state and the island nation.
The delegation represents what the governor’s office calls “Team Illinois” – a group of government and business officials that work to secure business and economic development partnerships. While it started informally, it’s now a key element of the Pritzker administration’s five-year plan for attracting businesses to the state.
In total, about four dozen lawmakers, economic development officials, academics, and businesspeople will join the governor on the trip. Among them are House speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, and Senate president Don Harmon, D-Oak Park.
Christy George, the CEO of Intersect Illinois, is joining the delegation. Intersect Illinois is the private economic development organization started by then-governor Bruce Rauner that has since become a go-between for businesses looking to relocate to Illinois and state government. It works on marketing and site selection in partnership with the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
George stepped into the role in mid-September after working as the executive director of the Democratic National Convention’s 2024 Host Committee. Prior to that, George worked in Pritzker’s administration as an assistant deputy governor and as the executive director of the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Others heading to Japan include representatives of PsiQuantum and TCCI, both of which have received multimillion-dollar tax incentives from DCEO since last summer. The heads of the state’s major utilities, representatives from the University of Illinois and University of Chicago, and heads of several business-related lobbying organizations are also set to join the delegation.
The Pritzker administration has led similar trade missions to the United Kingdom and Canada in recent years. The governor’s first trade mission, in 2019, was also in Japan.
Since then, Illinois exports to Japan have increased 31.7% while imports from Japan have fallen 22.4%, according to the governor’s office.
Day 1
On the day first of a four-day mission trip to Japan, JB Pritzker Monday announced a deal with medical diagnostic product-maker Sysmex America Inc., which is headquartered in north suburban Lincolnshire.
Pritzker’s office said Sysmex will invest $20.6 million in northeastern Illinois to create 110 more jobs and retain 550 others. The company employs scientists, engineers and health care professionals, and produces medical equipment that aids in diagnosing blood clotting disorders and other conditions.
Pritzker is joined on the Japan trip by about four dozen lawmakers, economic development officials, academics and businesspeople. Their goal is to promote Illinois’ “manufacturing and innovation” and strengthen business partnerships.
The delegation on Monday met with Japanese executives from the food sector and Pritzker met with leaders of the Japan External Trade Organization, specifically discussing opportunities in clean energy and quantum technology. The governor also delivered a keynote speech to over 100 Japan-based companies at an event hosted by JETRO.
Tuesday, Pritzker led a quantum roundtable discussion at the University of Tokyo along with Senate president Don Harmon, House speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, and deputy governors Martin Torres and Andy Manar.
Quantum technology has been a major emphasis of the administration and lawmakers, who approved a tax incentives package earlier this year that’s aimed at making Illinois a hub for the nascent technology.
Read more: Quantum technology companies set for big tax incentives under new law
The Japan trip is slated to conclude Thursday.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.