LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is pitching the state to Japanese companies as part of an annual conference with other Midwestern governors.

Ricketts said in a conference call from Tokyo on Monday that he met with company officials from Toyota and Meikyo Denki, a Japanese power distribution panel manufacturer.

The governor is visiting Japan for the 47th Annual Joint Meeting of the Midwest U.S.-Japan Association. This year’s conference includes the governors of Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan, the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin and governors from half a dozen Japanese prefectures. More than 300 business and government leaders are attending.

Ricketts says Japanese companies have invested $4.4 billion in Nebraska since 2010.