Governor Eric J. Holcomb, First Lady Janet Holcomb, Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger and the Indiana delegation celebrated the 20th anniversary of the sister-state relationship between Tochigi Prefecture and Indiana.
"Today was a wonderful celebration of the special relationship that's grown over the last twenty years between Tochigi and Indiana," said Gov. Holcomb. "We're proud of our shared business, education and cultural exchange successes that continue to deepen to this day and for the generational friendships that have flourished along the way. Today we celebrated 20 years, with many, many more still to come."
Gov. Holcomb and Tochigi Governor Tomikazu Fukuda met and discussed the importance of the Indiana-Tochigi relationship and the progress the two states have made during the past 20 years. Tochigi Prefecture supports one of Indiana-based Cummins' global operations and is also home to the headquarters of Fukai Mfg. Co., Ltd., which established manufacturing operations in Jamestown, Indiana, in 2014, and announced plans to double its footprint in 2017. A tier 1 automotive supplier, Fukai Toyotetsu Indiana Corporation now employs approximately 437 Hoosiers.
Indiana and Tochigi Prefecture also have education and cultural ties. Both Purdue University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis support educational exchanges with Tochigi's Utsunomiya University and Hakuoh University, respectively. Tochigi Prefecture has led two delegations to Indiana in the past three years, joining the state in December 2016 to celebrate its bicentennial and attending the annual Japan-America Society of Indiana gala in 2017, where Gov. Holcomb and Gov. Fukuda joined Hoosiers to celebrate the strong ties between Indiana and Japan.
In Tochigi, Gov.. Holcomb and Tochigi Gov. Fukuda hosted a reception, convening the Indiana delegation with representatives of Tochigi Prefecture from government, education and business. The two commemorated the occasion by dedicating a sculpture in honor of the Tochigi-Indiana relationship and participating in a traditional, celebratory kagami biraki ceremony.
