More than 80 Japanese firms, seven different organizations, and three different language schools that support the Japanese language are situated in and around Charlotte’s Center City, the central business district of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The presence of Japanese-related nonprofit organizations signifies how Charlotte extends its support to foreigners who wish to live and invest in the city. Some known organizations include The Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce, The Japanese Association in Charlotte, Charlotte Japanese Language Meetup, and the Japan-America Society of North Carolina.
In working to grow public-private partnerships, all decisions of Charlotte Center City Partners are based on research, urban planning, transportation planning, and community development and geared toward placed-based economic development.
“The Charlotte community is really known for its attribute of being very business-friendly and very growth-focused. We’re big believers in having a shared vision with collective action,” said Charlotte Center City Partners CEO Michael Smith.
As one of the two commercial capitals in Southeastern USA, the other being Atlanta, Charlotte is renowned for financial services. It is the second-largest banking center in the United States, next to New York. Advanced manufacturing and logistics are also considered niche industries because of its accessibility.
“Our location gives us incredible superpowers because of our highway connectivity, relative proximity to the Charleston Port, and the way were overserved by our incredible airport. Our airport is the fifth busiest in the world when measured by plane movement. There are more than 100 cities within a three-hour direct flight from Charlotte,” he said.
On foreign investments in and around Center City, more than half of the companies are from European and Asian markets, with a notable number of Japanese investors like Mitsubishi, Toshiba, and Yokohama Tire Corporation. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, which set up in Charlotte in 2019 and initially employed 300 people, is expected to expand its operations in the city.
