http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/11/10/scwarzenegger.reut/index.htmlArnie to sell California to Japan
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Posted: 1522 GMT (2322 HKT)
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in Japan on Wednesday on a trade mission that some think could also be aimed at showing off his diplomatic prowess as a prelude to a possible presidential campaign in 2008.
The Hollywood superstar and former Mr Universe has long been popular in Japan -- so much so that a justice minister once let him into the country without a passport.
Asked at the time why he had made an exception for the star of such films as "Terminator," then Justice Minister Shozaburo Nakamura replied: "If I hadn't said yes, I would have been killed by my wife and daughter."
On Wednesday, Schwarzenegger, who went through customs with other less famous visitors, smiled warmly and waved to a crowd of fans who welcomed him at the airport.
"Up until now, I've always come to promote my movies and the Special Olympics," Schwarzenegger said, as some people screamed his Japanese nick-name, "Shuwa-chan" and others snapped his photo with their mobile phones.
"But this time, I'm representing the people of California," added Schwarzenegger, who in the past has made commercials for Japanese products from health drinks to noodles.
Schwarzenegger and his delegation of more than 50 business people want to convince Japan that the time is ripe to deepen economic ties.
Ties between the two economies are already tight, as a handy fact sheet provided by the governor's office attests.
Japan is already California's biggest foreign investor and second-largest trading partner after Mexico.
Japanese firms employ a quarter of all Californians who work for foreign-owned companies and 590,000 Japanese visited California in 2003, although that was a 50 percent drop in Japanese travel from the mid-to-late 1990s.
Among the companies on Schwarzenegger's radar screen is Toyota Motor Corp.
Media reports have said he wants the world's most profitable car maker to consider using its California plant to manufacture the popular Prius hybrid petrol and electricity-powered car.
The Austrian-born fiscal conservative and socially moderate Republican may have more than mere business on his mind.
Friends have said he would ultimately like to be president and he has expressed support for a change to the U.S. constitution to allow foreign-born Americans to be president.
Schwarzenegger will get a chance to show his diplomatic credentials during the four-day trip when he meets Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday.
