Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. plans to step up its sales pitch for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, Japan's first domestically produced passenger jet, particularly in Latin America, according to the chairman of its U.S. unit.

"We want to grab customers" from Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that is strong in the region, Masao Yamagami said during an annual convention of the Regional Airline Association in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation America Inc., he said, will market the MRJ more to win orders for the first time in the region as "there must be demand" for a small jet like the MRJ.