‘Guanajuato sells by itself in Japan’

Melba Pria, the Mexican Ambassador to the Asian country, notes the great work that Guanajuatense Officials have done to position the State

Guanajuatense textile producers were invited to participate in three textile fairs in Japan.

Dolores Hidalgo/Gto News

In Japan, investors recommend Guanajuato by word of mouth: the culture, specialized labor, and government collaboration have won over Asians to invest in the State, shared the Governor of the People, Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo, regarding her working trip to Japan on the weekly program Connecting with the People where she was with the Secretary of Economy, Cristina Villasenor Aguilar; the Secretary of Tourism and Identity, Guadalupe Robles Leon; and the Secretary of Culture, Lizeth Galvan Cortes.

“A large part of the investment doesn’t only come through government agencies. You’d be surprised to learn how much word of mouth Japanese companies are doing about Guanajuato. This is wonderful because when an investment comes in and suddenly that investor talks to their suppliers, those suppliers seek out the State. It’s a chain of investments that strengthens Guanajuato’s economy and has allowed us to position ourselves as the fifth-largest economy in Mexico,” said Libia Dennise.

The Governor said that there were two main objectives for this working tour:

• First, on the economic front. In this highly complex period of foreign policy with the U.S. and the imposition of tariffs, it was very important to conduct this tour with Japan and visit Toyota, Mazda, and Honda to provide certainty
• Second, to explore areas of investment and opportunities to continue positioning Guanajuato in the cultural and tourism sectors

Among the good news for the people of Guanajuato, the Governor shared that textile producers from municipalities such as Moroleon, Yuriria, and Uriangato will participate in three textile fairs in Japan; Guanajuato will host the Hiroshima Gastronomic Festival; the Nikkei Community in Mexico, Japanese migrants and their descendants living outside of Japan, will hold their biannual convention at the Guanajuato Museum of Art and History; and the State was invited to participate for the first time in Japan’s most important tourism fair, JATA.

Regarding job opportunities, there are four new investments by Japanese companies in Guanajuato:

• Nagase Atecs, which will build its plant in Leon, generating 130 new jobs
• Senyo, which will open in Abasolo, providing 70 direct jobs
• NHK Springs, which will build in Irapuato, hiring 233 people
• SK Tech, will expand its operations at its Irapuato plant, generating 80 new jobs

In total, Japanese investment attracted was for $105.8 million, equivalent to 2.1 billion pesos, during the Governor of the People’s first international tour.

The Governor recounted that during a meeting with Melba Pria, Mexico’s Ambassador to Japan, she told her: “Guanajuato sells itself in Japan.” During the meeting with Guanajuatense authorities, the Ambassador explained that the State has positioned itself as one of the Asian country’s most important trading partners.

“We will have a very close collaboration with the Mexican Embassy in Japan, which will soon serve as a showcase for Marga GTO,” said Libia Dennise.

Regarding her reunion with Japan’s Parliamentary Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arfiya Eri, the Governor mentioned the similarities and challenges they have encountered as women in their political journeys.

“Her story speaks of struggle, of work, and of a vision for women’s representation. She was deeply impressed by the bond we have with the Japanese community and asked us to continue strengthening the alliance between Guanajuato and Japan. She is part of a new generation of Japanese leaders committed to democratic values, freedom, and economic cooperation,” the State Leader shared.

Libia Dennise, accompanied by the Secretaries of Economy, Culture and Tourism, and Identity, during the program Connecting with People, shared the surprise that the Japanese authorities experienced when receiving a delegation from Guanajuato made up of women, especially the delegation of the Governor of Hiroshima, Hidehiko Yuzaki, mostly made up of men.

Japan is not only our main trading partner, the State Leader emphasized, it has become the fourth country issuing tourists to Guanajuato, with more than 155 thousand visitors in 2024.

“That the Japanese community is settled in Guanajuato is a great attraction for the cultural, tourist, and economic development of this great country, which continues to be a major commercial ally for Guanajuato,” said the Governor.

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