Tommy G. Thompson served as Governor of Wisconsin from 1987 to 2001 and as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005. Throughout his career in public service, Tommy’s goal was to bring people together to accomplish positive change. During his tenure in office, he worked effectively with both Democrats and Republicans to strengthen the economy, social services, health care, and public education.

Tommy was instrumental in establishing the close economic and cultural ties Wisconsin now enjoys with Japan. As a state legislator in the early 1970s, Tommy helped to woo and then welcome Kikkoman to Wisconsin. This prescient, first-ever investment by a major Japanese company in the US Midwest proved transformative for both the United States and Japan: Five decades later, Japan has become the largest foreign direct investor in America. In his keynote address at the ceremony celebrating Kikkoman’s first fifty years in Wisconsin, Tommy highlighted the trust and friendship that have blossomed between Japan and Wisconsin. Since 1973, other major Japanese companies followed Kikkoman’s lead and invested another $3 billion in the Badger state.

In 2023, the Emperor of Japan awarded Tommy The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, one of Japan’s highest honors. This award sealed his legacy as Japan’s most high profile Tomodachi in Wisconsin.

Tommy is pleased to serve as JASWI’s first Honorary Chair and joins everyone in celebrating all things Japanese in Wisconsin.