Members of the both the Illinois business community and state government recently returned from Japan after being part of a multi-state trade mission as part of the Mid-West Japan Association. 

Mark Denzler with the Illinois Manufacturers Association says that Illinois business relies on investment from Japan and these trips are critical to creating new financial opportunities.

Denzler says he’ll let the Governor’s office make any formal announcements of business deals that might have come from the trip but described the time spent building connections in Japan as positive.