Utah
2024/12/13
Economic and Cultural Relations with Japan
Utah and the capital of Salt Lake City are a major crossroads in the American Rocky Mountain West, and a center of education, technology, mining, and tourism. There are five spectacular national parks in Utah, along with seven national monuments, while Salt Lake City is well known for hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics. Utah is home to excellent ski resorts and is popular as a destination for a variety of outdoor recreation. Utah has also been selected to host the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Japan was Utah’s 5th largest export destination in 2023, with about $821 million in goods shipped to Japan. Computer electronics, chemicals, and minerals were the top exports to Japan in 2022, with Utah importing $173 million in goods from Japan. The state’s major trading partners for 2023 were the United Kingdom and Canada.
There are 28 Japanese companies represented in Utah (as of Jan 2024), and the Utah Office of Economic Development has been actively promoting trade and investment with Japan, including a trade mission to Japan in September 2024.
Utah and Japan enjoy deep and wide cultural relations, including excellent relations within the local Japanese and Japanese-American community. This is due in part to numerous opportunities for exchange developed in relation to activities of the Mormon church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), which is based in Utah. Excellent Japan-related cultural and language education programs exist at several higher education institutions in Utah, offering many opportunities for bilateral exchange.
Salt Lake City, Utah and Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture are sister cities, and participate in mutual cultural exchange every year. Salt Lake County's Magna City and Yuzawa Town in Niigata Prefecture are also sister cities. The site of the former Topaz Relocation Center in western Utah has been named a National Historic Landmark, and the Topaz Museum works to preserve its legacy.
The state also has a very active Japanese American Citizens League with several branches statewide, involved in a wide range of activities. Salt Lake City is the site of the Nihon Matsuri festival each year in the month of April.
Furthermore, an Honorary Consul of Japan in Salt Lake City was appointed in August, 2024.
Japan was Utah’s 5th largest export destination in 2023, with about $821 million in goods shipped to Japan. Computer electronics, chemicals, and minerals were the top exports to Japan in 2022, with Utah importing $173 million in goods from Japan. The state’s major trading partners for 2023 were the United Kingdom and Canada.
There are 28 Japanese companies represented in Utah (as of Jan 2024), and the Utah Office of Economic Development has been actively promoting trade and investment with Japan, including a trade mission to Japan in September 2024.
Utah and Japan enjoy deep and wide cultural relations, including excellent relations within the local Japanese and Japanese-American community. This is due in part to numerous opportunities for exchange developed in relation to activities of the Mormon church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), which is based in Utah. Excellent Japan-related cultural and language education programs exist at several higher education institutions in Utah, offering many opportunities for bilateral exchange.
Salt Lake City, Utah and Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture are sister cities, and participate in mutual cultural exchange every year. Salt Lake County's Magna City and Yuzawa Town in Niigata Prefecture are also sister cities. The site of the former Topaz Relocation Center in western Utah has been named a National Historic Landmark, and the Topaz Museum works to preserve its legacy.
The state also has a very active Japanese American Citizens League with several branches statewide, involved in a wide range of activities. Salt Lake City is the site of the Nihon Matsuri festival each year in the month of April.
Furthermore, an Honorary Consul of Japan in Salt Lake City was appointed in August, 2024.
Japanese Residents
There are approximately 3,000 Japanese residents in Utah (as of October 2024) . Of those, many residents live in Salt Lake City, as well as in the nearby cities of Provo and Orem. There is one Japanese school in Utah.