Texas Border Business
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today met with Toyota Motor Corporation executives and suppliers and toured the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology in Nagoya, Japan, on the fourth day of a three-nation economic development mission to Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.
“Texas has been the proud home of Toyota manufacturing facilities for over two decades,” said Governor Abbott. “Our partnership with the global powerhouse, Toyota, has played a critical role in strengthening our mighty economy and bringing good-paying jobs to hardworking Texans. It is an honor to be at the Toyota Commemorative Museum to learn more about the history and legacy of the company, and I look forward to continuing to collaborate with Toyota as we build a more innovative future for both Texas and Japan.”
Starting the day out at the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, Governor Abbott met with Toyota executives and received a tour. Built in the historic building which marks the beginning of the Toyota Group as a textile company and introduces the history of Japanese manufacturing technology, the tour included a viewing of the showroom of Toyota cars, historic and modern manufacturing equipment, and more. The tour was followed by a lunch meeting with Toyota executives and some of their top suppliers to discuss more opportunities for Toyota to invest in Texas.
Toyota Motor Corporation is a multinational automotive manufacturer and one of the largest in the world. Toyota’s North American headquarters are in Plano, Texas, home to 6,600 employees in marketing, sales, engineering, and manufacturing on the state-of-the-art $1 billion campus. Toyota’s San Antonio truck assembly plant, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, employs more than 2,600 team members who produced 181,872 vehicles in 2023 in a $3.1 billion facility that covers 2.5 million square feet. In June, Toyota Texas announced a new $531 million investment to expand their manufacturing facility in San Antonio that will create over 400 jobs in the region.
Governor Abbott then met with Aisin President & CEO Moritaka Yoshida and other Aisin executives to thank the company for its recent investment in Cibolo with a new manufacturing facility. The Governor and Mr. Yoshida also discussed ways to further strengthen the relationship between Texas and Japan in the development and production of automotive components.
The Governor was joined at the fourth day of events by First Lady Cecilia Abbott, Secretary of State Jane Nelson, the Governor’s Economic Development & Tourism Office Executive Director Adriana Cruz, Texas Economic Development Corporation Board Secretary Adrian Cannady, Texas Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Aaron Demerson, and the Texas delegation. The goal of the trip is to deepen the already-strong economic and cultural partnerships with Texas, encourage expanded trade in critical industries, and attract new business investments to Texas.
The following events are scheduled for the fifth day of the economic development mission in Japan:
- Luncheon with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
- Meeting with Chief Cabinet Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi
- Meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Yōko Kamikawa
- Reception at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo
Japan leads all nations for the number of jobs created by foreign direct investment projects in Texas over the last decade. Over the past 10 full years through 2023, companies from Japan have invested $10.87 billion in 129 projects creating more than 20,000 jobs in Texas. In the first five months of 2024, Japanese companies have invested $1.47 billion in six additional projects expected to create more than 520 new jobs in Texas. Texas trade with Japan totaled $31.2 billion in 2023, making Japan the fifth-largest total trade partner with Texas.
The trip is sponsored and paid for by the Texas Economic Development Corporation, an independently funded and operated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization responsible for marketing and promoting Texas as a premier business location. Along with the Governor’s Economic Development & Tourism Office, these two organizations are the cornerstone of Governor Abbott’s economic development agenda to build a bigger, better Texas.