HELENA — The Montana Department of Commerce hosted a reception at the Montana State Capital building Wednesday with the Japanese consulate general from Seattle to celebrate the trade and diplomatic partnerships that have been built between Japan and Montana.
In 2024, Japan purchased two-hundred and forty million dollars in Montana exports; including wheat, coal, and other goods.
Montana Lieutenant Kristen Juras introduced Japanese Consul General Iyori Makoto, who spoke about the importance of continued cooperation.
Deputy Director of the Montana Department of Commerce, Mandy Rambo told MTN the state will continue building and maintaining the mutally beneficial relationship between Montana and Japan.
“We are taking a trade mission this fall to Japan. We'll be taking companies from the bioscience and photonics industries. Part of our goal here is to enhance the relationship from business to business but also government to government, so how can the government work together to increase that import-export relationship to benefit the state of Montana and the country of Japan."
Rambo emphasized the importance of honoring the partnership's history while continuing to build together.
“The consul has met with the house speaker and will meet with the senate's President as well. Continuing and understanding this relationship for our lawmakers is very important. They [the consulate] placed importance on being here during the legislative session to share the message with those individuals directly.”
