San Diego and Japan Deepen Strategic Ties

Mayor Todd Gloria Leads Leaders on AI, Energy, Life Sciences, Defense Technology Trade Mission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 31, 2026

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — September 2026 — More than 40 business, civic, and academic leaders from San Diego will travel to Japan from September 7–11 as part of a trade mission led by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and U.S. Congressman Scott Peters. The mission is organized by World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), the international arm of San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The visit comes as San Diego and Yokohama prepare to celebrate 70 years of sister-city friendship and underscores San Diego’s commitment to deepening one of its most important international partnerships.

Japan is San Diego’s second-largest source of foreign direct investment, having invested $7.6 billion in the region since 2015—a level of sustained, long-term commitment matched by few countries. The two regions bring complementary strengths: Japan’s global leadership in advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, robotics, and shipbuilding, and San Diego’s innovation base in defense and maritime dual-use technologies, AI, semiconductor design, and life sciences.

Cross-border collaboration matters more than ever. Economies worldwide are racing to address some of the most difficult challenges of our time: strengthening defense and maritime capabilities, securing semiconductor supply chains, and advancing the next generation of life-saving biotechnology. Success will depend on finding the right partners. Japan’s national economic strategy has sharpened its focus on defense, semiconductors, and life sciences, while placing greater emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation. With its concentration of research institutions, startups, and global industry leaders in these sectors, San Diego is well positioned to become a long-term innovation and entrepreneurial partner for Japan. The mission aims to turn this strategic alignment into concrete investment, research collaborations, and business partnerships across the Pacific.

“San Diego and Japan share a relationship built over decades, and this trade mission is about turning that strong foundation into new economic opportunities,” said San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria. “We are bringing leaders from some of San Diego’s most innovative industries to strengthen partnerships in defense, life sciences, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and clean energy. Our goal is clear: attract investment, create jobs and open new opportunities for San Diego businesses while building partnerships that benefit both our region and Japan.”

Trade Mission Agenda

Over five days in Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka, the delegation will pursue partnerships in critical sectors and highlight opportunities for Japanese companies and institutions to invest in and collaborate with San Diego:

 Celebrating 70 Years of San Diego–Yokohama Friendship: Mayor Gloria will deliver a special address to the Yokohama City Council and meet with city leaders to commemorate seven decades of sister-city partnership. Semiconductors and AI: Meetings with Japanese industry and academic leaders—including Kyocera,     RISE-A, and Yokohama Hardtech Hub—and representatives from UC San Diego,     Qualcomm, and ASML will focus on combining San Diego’s semiconductor     design and edge AI capabilities with Japan’s strengths in manufacturing     and materials. Fusion Energy Commercialization: The delegation will visit Kyoto Fusioneering and tour Osaka University’s Institute of Laser Engineering. Discussions with General Atomics, UC San Diego, and Japanese partners will explore the technology, infrastructure, and talent needed to commercialize fusion energy at scale. Maritime and Shipbuilding: The     Port of San Diego, General Dynamics NASSCO, SAIC, and defense technology     company Firestorm Labs will meet with Japanese government agencies to     strengthen maritime industrial cooperation. Investment Summit in Tokyo: The delegation will present the San Diego–Baja California binational region to Japanese business leaders and investors, highlighting opportunities in defense technology, real estate, and R&D on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border. Life Sciences Collaboration: Meetings     at Osaka University and Nakanoshima Qross, together with California life sciences trade organization Biocom, RNA and personalized medicine executives from La Jolla Labs and Artis BioSolutions, and principals from     R1 institutes UC San Diego and San Diego State University. 

Delegates will take part in more than a dozen meetings, site visits, and networking events throughout the trade mission.

“As the entry point to California and the West Coast, our region is part of the fourth-largest economy in the world and home to the largest concentration of military assets anywhere,” said U.S. Congressman Scott Peters. “Japan is exactly the kind of partner we need at this moment. From shipbuilding and semiconductors to fusion energy, the WTCSD trade mission is about strengthening a relationship that delivers real economic and security benefits for both our countries.”

The Delegation

The cross-sector San Diego delegation includes executives from leading companies such as Qualcomm, ASML, General Atomics, General Dynamics NASSCO, SAIC, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Mitsubishi Electric Ventures; leaders from growing startups including Firestorm Labs, La Jolla Labs, Artis BioSolutions, AquaPoro Technologies, and ActivBody; public and civic leaders from the Port of San Diego, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, Tijuana EDC, SANDAG, San Diego Tourism Authority, San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Biocom; and representatives from research institutions including UC San Diego, San Diego State University, and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

“This is not a delegation of observers—it is a delegation of innovative leaders,” said Nikia Clarke, PhD, executive director of WTCSD and chief strategy officer at EDC. “We’re bringing the companies behind next-generation semiconductors and edge AI, the shipyards building the U.S. Navy’s future fleet, the researchers making fusion energy a commercial reality, and the life sciences institutions transforming patients’ lives. Few regions in the world can assemble this level of leadership across so many critical industries at once. That is San Diego’s edge—and exactly the caliber of partner Japan’s industry leaders should seek as we shape the future together.”

“Drawing on my experience building financial and telecommunications infrastructure and investing in advanced technologies in Japan, I believe San Diego can become one of Japan’s most important strategic partners—particularly in defense, energy, and life sciences. San Diego combines world-class innovation and research with a major port and proximity to Tijuana, where many Japanese companies already operate manufacturing facilities. Together, San Diego and Tijuana offer Japan a powerful platform for innovation, manufacturing, and growth in the United States,” said Eric Gan, founder of MCW Japan, an affiliate of GANMI Corporation.

The mission is organized by WTCSD, with support from the U.S. Embassy in Japan, and sponsorship from Ambix Ventures, MCW Japan (GANMI Corporation), Alaska Airlines, SAIC, and San Diego State University.

WTCSD has previously led trade missions to France, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Vancouver, and other global markets. This marks WTCSD's second trade mission to Japan in the past decade.

Learn more about the San Diego–Japan economic relationship and about San Diego.

CONTACTS

Eric Gan, MCW

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Bree Burris, WTCSD

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About World Trade Center San Diego
World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD) is the international team within San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC). WTCSD works to further San Diego’s global competitiveness by building an export pipeline, attracting and retaining foreign investment, and increasing San Diego’s global profile abroad. WTCSD.org