Governor Hobbs and the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) have announced the opening of a new Arizona Trade and Investment office in Tokyo, Japan. The office is intended to boost economic collaboration and foreign direct investment between Arizona and Japan, which is one of Arizona’s largest trading partners. This is the third Arizona trade and investment office established in Asia.
“Arizona’s new trade and investment office in Japan represents an exciting opportunity to strengthen collaboration across high-tech sectors and expand growth opportunities for Arizona-based businesses,” said Governor Hobbs.
Several companies with operations in Arizona have headquarters or significant presence in Japan, including Fujifilm, Toyota Motors North America, JX Advanced Metals, NRS Logistics America, Pentagon Technologies, and Komatsu.
“We are excited to open Arizona’s new trade and investment office in Japan, one of Arizona’s largest trading partners,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “Trade between Arizona and Japan grew more than 23% over the last five years while Japan is one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment in Arizona. My thanks to Governor Hobbs and our Legislature for their leadership to grow this important partnership.”
In 2024, total trade between Arizona and Japan reached $3.7 billion. That year, Arizona ranked second for metal ore exports to Japan and fourth for computer equipment and communications equipment exports. Japan was also the largest export market for pharmaceuticals from Arizona, as well as third-largest for navigational instruments, metal ores, and communications equipment. On imports, Arizona ranked first for industrial machinery from Japan.
The ACA has named Tsutomu (Tom) Hashimoto as director of the new office. Hashimoto brings over four decades of business experience including more than 30 years at Sumitomo Corporation; he was previously an advisor with JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization).
Over the past year, ACA has hosted several Japanese delegations involving business and government leaders. These visits included events in February 2025 and November 2024 where ACA highlighted business climate advantages in Arizona.
The ACA operates additional trade offices in Taiwan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Canada, Europe, and Israel.
Arizona’s efforts to attract international business are part of a broader economic development strategy that has shown results in recent years. In September 2022,the ACA reported record-breaking job creation, with projected figures exceeding goals by creating over 24,000 new jobs through partnerships with companies.
