A couple of dozen Oregonians are headed to Japan Monday, for a business recruitment trip.
It's the biggest delegation since the state started the trips during the depths of the recession.
The group will spend five days and four nights trying to get Japanese companies to set up their overseas headquarters in Oregon.
Ryan Frank with Business Oregon can't point to any companies that have moved here as a result of annual delegation trips taken since 2010.
But he says, his state agency is more optimistic this year, because of an improving economy
"This process is like diplomacy," he said. "It takes a long time and you have to invest early and continue at it over a matter of years. Our early seminars had small attendance and we've grown to over 150 companies and so, we're hoping to continue to build on those relationships and be able to point to a lot more successes over the years."
The state says 133 Japanese companies have their overseas headquarters in Oregon - more than in any other state or foreign nation.
Follow Oregon's delegates on Twitter with the hashtag #ORJapan.
Agencies and companies represented on the trip:
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