Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering visiting North Carolina when he visits the United States in April, a government source said Wednesday, with Toyota constructing its new battery plant there.
The prospective visit to the southeastern state appears aimed at showcasing Toyota's contribution to job creation and investment in the United States, should former President Donald Trump, who has criticized the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, be elected as president in November.
Kishida, who took office in October 2021, is arranging a state visit to the United States for six days from April 9, the source said, adding he is expected to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on April 10.
As part of his trip, Kishida is also set to address the U.S. Congress. The last Japanese political leader to do so was then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015 during the administration of then-U.S. President Barack Obama.
When a Japanese prime minister makes an official trip to the United States, it is customary to visit local cities. Abe visited Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2015. In 2006, then Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Memphis.
Toyota, the world's biggest automaker by volume, plans to manufacture automobile batteries in North Carolina as part of efforts to beef up its electric vehicle segment.