Consul-General Fukushima paid a courtesy call to the Honorable Colin Allred (D, TX-32 Dallas) of the U.S. House of Representatives (May 24, 2019)

On May 24^th, Consul-General Fukushima paid a courtesy call to Congressman Colin Allred, who has become a leading new Democratic lawmaker since winning his congressional seat in a traditionally Republican district in last fall’s midterm elections. The Consul-General congratulated Representative Allred on his victory, and offered his sincere gratitude for the Congressman’s generous support to the region’s Japanese community and businesses, which have both recently come to flourish in the greater Dallas area. Both men went on to discuss the importance of free trade for economic and business activity, and agreed on the need to work together in responding to current protectionist trends such as tariffs. Next, conversation turned to the Texas Central Railway project, which plans to utilize Japanese shinkansen bullet-train technology to connect Dallas to Houston in 90 minutes. Congressman Allred said that he has heard growing bipartisan support from local people who hope to see the project advance, and who anticipate that Japanese shinkansen technology will contribute to the Texas economy.