On May 1st in Los Angeles, CA, Mr. Fumihiko Ike, Chairman of JAMA and Chairman and Representative Director of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., attended the Japan-U.S. Economic Forum as a panelist. The forum was organized by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO).

JETRO held this forum in an effort to increase economic cooperation and investment between businesses in Japan and the U.S. The panel featured a discussion between six business representatives from both countries. Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker also attended the forum as guests and called for deepening Japan-U.S. economic ties and increasing investments in both nations.

In JAMA Chairman Ike’s presentation,　he stated that in 2013, Japanese automakers produced more than 3.6 million vehicles in the U.S., purchased a record-high $57 billion in U.S. auto parts, and supported an estimated 1.36 million American jobs. He illustrated Japanese automakers’ economic contributions in the United States by citing the development and expansion of automobile manufacturing, local procurement and R&D/design activities in America by Honda, the first Japanese automaker to build vehicles in the U.S. in 1982.

He concluded his presentation by stating, “we want to continue to grow in America by making positive contributions to the economy, to the marketplace and, most importantly, to our American customers.”