CHICAGO – Illinois officials from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Illinois Economic Development Corporation are traveling to Tokyo for the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association’s 55th Conference to strengthen trade and investment ties. Illinois has one sister-state and nine sister-city relationships with Japan, which is a major economic partner with $2.5 billion in exports, $7 billion in imports, and more than 400 Japanese companies employing over 56,000 residents in the state.
