This was printed from Nashville Business Journal
- The Business Journals Digital Network:
- The Business Journals
- Local Business Directory
- Book of Lists
- Upstart Business Journal
This was printed from Nashville Business Journal
News Made Easy Get today’s news delivered to you.
What's an award from a Japanese emperor worth?
It might be hard to place a specific value, depending upon your affinity for high honors from foreign leaders, but there are some ways to quantify it. How about this: investment by 170 Japanese companies, employing 35,000 Tennessee workers.
That's the amount of economic activity U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said ties back to Tennessee's relationship with the Japanese. It's a relationship he famously minted as governor of Tennessee on a trip to Japan in 1979, and one he said is a credit to the state overall for welcoming the Japanese just in time for a wave of economic development.
"We had the good fortune to be at the head of the line," he said.
Alexander's role in all that economic development — and the goodwill it took to carry it off — has earned him the "Order of the Rising Sun" award. He'll receive it tonight from Motohiko Kato, Japan's new consul-general in Nashville, on behalf of Japanese Emperor Akihito.
The story of Alexander traveling to Japan in 1979 is famous by now and, as we've outlined before, an example of how personal touch by high officials can make a difference despite shifts in the economic development game. Reflecting on it today, Alexander said Nissan agreeing to come to Tennessee was a watershed, both for Japanese investment since and for investment by auto makers like General Motors Corp. and Volkswagen years later.
While Alexander and others describe the Tennessee-Japan relationship as not only lucrative but warm, it hasn't been without its challenges.
Alexander remembers when tensions led some to propose calling the road leading to Nissan's plant "Pearl Harbor Boulevard." He said he puts that, as well as efforts for English-only and strict immigration reform in the state, in the same category of standing to send the wrong message to the state's Japanese trading partners.
Brian Reisinger covers banking/finance, state government and manufacturing. You can follow him on Twitter at @BrianJReisinger.
My News is a way to create a customized news feed based on companies and industries that matter to you.
The latest local business news delivered to you each day.
© 2012 American City Business Journals. All rights reserved. Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 3/14/12) and Privacy Policy (updated 3/14/12).
Your California Privacy Rights.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of American City Business Journals.
Comments
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.