Statement by the Consul General on the arrival of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) in Moses Lake

  
  I would like to give a warm welcome to the first flight-test Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), which successfully arrived today (9/28) in Moses Lake, Washington. 

      U.S. flight-testing of the MRJ will now begin based out of Moses Lake’s Grant County International Airport; a location blessed with a long runway, wide-open airspace and good weather throughout the year. Testing will also be supported by a wealth of experience and know-how possessed by state’s aerospace industry and skilled workforce.
 
      Japan and Washington have a historically deep tradition of both cultural and people-to-people exchange and also share a close economic relationship, which was fortified in June of this year when both sides signed the Memorandum of Cooperation on Economic and Trade Relations.

      For the development of the MRJ, it is very reassuring that we have such a strong relationship with our partner, Washington. The MRJ is really an aircraft “developed and made with U.S. and Washington State”.
 
      We look forward to continuing our support for the successful development of the MRJ project.