Message from JETRO USA's President regarding the Ongoing COVID-19 Crisis

Apr 06, 2020

I hope my message finds you all well this early spring season.

First and foremost, I hope you, your family, and your colleagues are all safe and well prepared with the necessary resources for the days ahead.

My very best wishes are to the dedicated men and women on the front lines, especially Federal and State officials who are working to provide critical information to individuals and businesses, especially essential businesses that are operating during this crucial time.  We at JETRO deeply appreciate your tireless efforts and work being done to mitigate this situation as safely as possible.

As we tackle the containment of COVID-19 in the United States, JETRO has also taken action to temporarily close all our offices as mandated by each State. While this is an unprecedented action for a Japanese government organization, it is also our duty as a bilateral trade and investment organization between the United States and Japan to maintain interaction with Japanese companies throughout the country during these uncertain times. Therefore, our staff at JETRO’s six US offices have been working around the clock to survey and communicate with Japanese companies that have been impacted from the crisis. We also just released "JETRO’s Quick Business Survey: Summary of Responses of Japanese Companies in the United States", a survey based on 905 Japanese companies in the US. To this extent, we continue to maintain our position to assist Japanese companies by providing the necessary resources and information each State has provided.

 

Moving forward, to our colleagues in the State governments, EDOs, and other organizations, if you have information you would like us to share with Japanese companies, please continue to reach out to the relevant JETRO office in your region and we can provide assistance to meet your needs.  

To the Japanese companies in the United States, our offices are available if there is any assistance needed to understand the current mandates announced in your specific State. Feel free to reach out here if you need any guidance. Our global website now has a dedicated COVID-19 Page for further information as well. 

For those US companies with Japanese business entities, please reach out to our JETRO offices in Japan or contact the nearest JETRO office in the US and they will gladly assist with any of your needs. 

We look forward to continue working with you all.

Issei Hatakeyama

President, JETRO USA and New York