Trade & International Relations Bureau

Overseas Trade Offices

The State of Montana maintains overseas trade offices in Japan and Taiwan. The trade offices provide Montana businesses with valuable in-country support for trade show representation and assistance, trade leads, market research and support services for visiting business representatives. Additionally the offices promote Montana tourism and educational opportunities for foreign students.

  • Montana's export sales of merchandise in 2000 totaled $551 million, up 36 percent from 1999. From 1993-2000, the state’s exports grew by 126 percent-nearly double the 68 percent increase in total U.S. exports of goods. Montana’s export growth, in percentage terms, ranked fifth among all states during the 1993-2000 period.
  • Tourism is often referred to as "reverse export", in which foreign dollars are spent in the domestic market. Overseas visitors to the US spent about six times as much as their domestic US counterparts for travel in the US in 2000.
  • The National Association of International Education estimates that foreign students attending Montana colleges and universities spent over $17 million dollars for tuition and living expenses during the 2000-2001 academic year.

Asia Pacific Trade Office - Mrs. Mei Mei Wang, Representative

The Asia Pacific Trade Office Representative serves as the official representative of the State of Montana for mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to promote the interests of the state in international trade, tourism development, and reverse investment. The Asia Pacific Trade Office was established in 1988. Mrs. Wang has served as the representative since the opening of the office. The office is located in Taipei, Taiwan at the Taipei World Trade Center.

Chinese language website - www.montana-chinese.org

Japan Trade Office - Ms. Mako Sakaguchi, Representative

The Japan Trade Office Representative serves as the official representative of the State of Montana in Japan to promote the interests of the state in international trade, tourism development, and reverse investment. The State of Montana Japan Trade Office was opened in Tokyo in 1988 and was closed in 1993. In 1990 the state opened a Representative Office in Montana’s sister-state Kumamoto, Japan, and since 1993 the Kumamoto office has served as the State of Montana Japan Office. As part of a reciprocity agreement with the Montana Department of Commerce, the Japan office is located in rent-free space provided in the Kumamoto Prefecture capitol building.

Japanese language website - www.bigskyjapan.com