
Governor adjusts Asia trip schedule
By Margaret Talev -- Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, October 6, 2004
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will travel to Japan next month on a trade mission but is postponing a similar visit to China until next year, citing a need to be in California for what could be the first inmate execution of his administration.
Although the details of the Japan visit were still being finalized, Schwarzenegger is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Nov. 10 for three days of high-profile meetings, said his communications director, Rob Stutzman.
Japan is California's second-largest export market, worth more than $11 billion per year, according to the California Chamber of Commerce. The nation also holds the largest foreign investment in California, with $30 billion worth of property, manufacturing and equipment, and an estimated 141,300 jobs through Japanese-affiliated companies, according to the chamber.
Stutzman said the Asia trip is being curtailed in part because Schwarzenegger may need to get back in California earlier to deal with a pending execution. Donald Beardslee, convicted in San Mateo County for two murders more than two decades ago, this week lost an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court, and his execution could be scheduled for within days of Schwarzenegger's planned return date.