TOPEKA — Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer says the state will renew its partnership with a group that strengthens economic ties between the state and Japan.
In 2012, then-Gov. Sam Brownback dropped the state’s membership in the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association, citing the $2,000 annual cost of membership.
Colyer met with association members in April and said this week that Kansas will rejoin the regional trade organization.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Japan has invested in 55 Kansas businesses with 10,000 employees. Colyer’s office said Japan is Kansas’ third-largest export market in 2017, totaling $980 million in commerce.
The Kansas Livestock Association and the Kansas Chamber of Commerce were among organizations supporting the decision to rejoin the association.
