Japan firms invest more in Louisiana than any other Asian nation

For the past decade, Louisiana leads the U.S. in per capita FDI (foreign direct investment) among states with 1 million or more people. Of the three states with over $100 billion in FDI during that period, Louisiana’s per capita performance is three times stronger than Texas and seven times greater than California. Japanese companies have played a significant role in Louisiana’s FDI leadership, with more than a half-dozen projects since 2003 accounting for over $6 billion in capital expenditures and 3,800 jobs.

NOTABLE JAPANESE INVESTMENT IN LOUISIANA

• Matheson Tri-Gas, a Taiyo Nippon Sanso company – Specialty gas producer open-air separation unit, $104 million investment
• SGS North America Inc. and SGS Petroleum Service Corporation – Manufacturing facility service & inspection  
• Denka Performance Elastomer, a Denki Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha company – ¬ Rubber manufacturer, $2.1 million investment
• Engineers and Constructors International (ECI), a Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding company
• Shintech Inc.

  In April 2012, Shintech Inc. announced a $420 million investment by SE Tylose to build a hydroxyethyl cellulose, or HEC, plant at Shintech Louisiana's Plaquemine site. SE Tylose, a subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. of Japan and sister company of Shintech, is producing HEC for latex paints that will create water-soluble coatings, adjust viscosity, improve adhesiveness, and prevent sedimentation of the colorants. The plant is expected to produce 9,000 tons of HEC annually and result in another 292 indirect jobs. Additionally, in April 2015 Shintech Inc. announced a $1.4 billion capital investment to supply Iberville Parish facilities with new ethylene production capacity. In 2015, Shintech announced an additional $1.4 billion ethylene expansion that will create 100 new direct jobs, retain 335 existing direct jobs and result in an estimated 658 new indirect jobs.

LOUISIANA REPRESENTATION IN JAPAN

In March 2017, LED Secretary Don Pierson led a Louisiana contingent to Asia focused on both business retention and business development. The economic development mission included a visit to Japan to meet with existing investor company officials and potential new prospects.

Louisiana has a local representative, Masao Kumori, based in Tokyo, Japan. If you would like to reach him, email [email protected] or call +81-(0)3-5403-5948.

CULTURAL TIES AND RESOURCES

Honorary Consul of Japan Donna Fraiche
201 St. Charles Avenue, Suite 3600

New Orleans, Louisiana 70170
Tel: 504.566.5201
[email protected]

The Japan Society of New Orleans was founded in 1928 to foster friendly relationships with Japan through the study of Japanese art and culture and the exchange of social and trade contacts between the two countries. Learn more here.



The Asian Pacific American Society aims to preserve and educate Asian culture and history in the New Orleans area since 1979. There are numerous higher education institutions in Louisiana that offer academic programs abroad in Japan.

Several Japanese horticultural groups exist throughout the state, including two chapters of Ikebana International, the Greater New Orleans Bonsai Society and the Japanese Garden Foundation of New Orleans. Learn more here.

Other Japanese-focused supporting organizations in Louisiana include the New Orleans Haiku Society, the New Orleans Zen Temple and the Greater New Orleans Suzuki Forum.

The Japanese Weekend School of New Orleans is a Japanese language school for children living in the surrounding area and New Orleans. On Saturday mornings, children from 3 to 15 years old receive instruction in accordance with the curriculum of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports. Learn more here.