Press Releases

1. On December 13th (12th in EST), Ambassador Tomita Koji and the Honorable Lawrence “Larry” J. Hogan, Jr., Governor of the State of Maryland, signed and renewed the Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on Economic and Trade Relations at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.
2. This MOC recognizes Japan and Maryland’s commitment to further collaborate and coordinate efforts in areas such as energy, high-speed rail development and passenger rail services, life sciences and biotechnology, digital innovation, academic cooperation, trade and investment, as well as Sister State and Sister City Economic Partnerships. New additions to the renewed memorandum are digital innovation cooperation and cooperation related to the Expo 2025 Osaka. Moreover, this renewal adds another four years to the MOC, extending it to 2026.
3. Japan and Maryland share deep historic ties, as symbolized by the Sister State relationship between Kanagawa Prefecture and Maryland as well as the Sister City relationship between Kawasaki City and Baltimore. 2021 marked the 40th anniversary of the Kanagawa-Maryland Sister State relationship, which was celebrated through Governor Hogan’s visit to Japan and Governor Kuroiwa’s subsequent visit to Maryland, both in 2022. These Sister State/City relations are an example of the robust people-to-people and cultural exchange initiatives between Japan and Maryland.
4. Moreover, Japan and Maryland maintain strong economic relations, and Japanese companies invest heavily in Maryland. Not only do these investments create employment opportunities and bolster local industries, but they also help deepen Japan-U.S. economic ties.
5. The Government of Japan and the State of Maryland will once again further advance collaboration and strengthen the two regions’thriving economic and trade relations in accordance with the renewed MOC.

[Reference]

• Renewed MOC text (Japanese (PDF) / English (PDF))