Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear leaves Saturday for an 11-day trip to Asia to promote investing in Kentucky. The trip includes a meeting with Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou and a reception in Japan hosted by U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy. Beshear also will visit Singapore.
The governor's office says Kentucky is home to more than 170 Asian facilities that employ 40,000 people.
In the past five years, the governor says Japanese companies have invested more than $2.2 billion in Kentucky. That investment is expected to create nearly 6,000 jobs.