Ellington

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is preparing to go overseas for a trade conference between officials from Japan and the southeastern United States.

Bryant's spokesman says Thursday that the governor will attend the 37th annual meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan and the Japan-U.S. Southeast Associations, or SEUS-Japan. The meeting takes place Sept. 18-20 in Tokyo.

William Yates III, president and CEO of Mississippi-based Yates Construction, is co-chairman of the meeting and will lead the state delegation with Bryant.

The governor says Japan is the biggest foreign investor in Mississippi. The state hosts Nissan and Toyota manufacturing plants.

Yates says in a news release that the meeting allows officials and business people to form trade and investment relationships that could help Mississippi and Japan.

Mississippi hosted the 2013 conference in Biloxi.