Republican Hopeful DeSantis to Visit Japan During Global Tour

Jon Herskovitz
·2-min read

(Bloomberg) -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will visit Japan next week as he tests the international waters ahead of a possible decision to seek the Republican nomination for US president.

Most Read from Bloomberg

DeSantis will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on April 24 during a two-day stay aimed at bolstering economic ties between Florida and Japan, the Japanese government said in a statement Friday.

DeSantis’s office said in a statement that the governor plans to lead an international trade mission to Japan, South Korea, Israel and the UK. The trip is likely to be his highest-profile venture overseas since he easily won reelection as governor in November and emerged as a potential top candidate for the GOP nomination.

“Florida has the 15th largest economy in the world, and that is because our state has worked to create partnerships with other countries to create jobs and boost the economy,” DeSantis said in the statement.

The Florida governor plans to be in Israel on April 27, where he will deliver the keynote address at an event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country, the statement from his office said.

DeSantis, 44, has yet to officially enter the race for the Republican nomination, but he has already endured weeks of attacks by former President Donald Trump and his allies. Although he has made forays to battleground states and published a memoir, he has steadily fallen behind Trump in several polls recently.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was one of the first global leaders to embrace Trump after he won the presidential election in 2016, flying to New York for talks at Trump Tower ahead of his inauguration.

--With assistance from Isabel Reynolds, Takashi Hirokawa and John Harney.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories