Importing investments.

• Position: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

THE STATE IS MAKING great strides in attracting foreign investment dollars, and 2006 looks like it will be a record year for such investments.

From the $3.85 billion investment from Australian and Spanish investors in the Indiana Toll Road lease to commitments by Toyota and Honda to bring major production facilities to central Indiana, the state is getting some national attention.

That was evident at the 2006 Midwest U.S.-Japan Association Conference, which brought its annual meeting to Indianapolis last month and attracted governors and business leaders who want their states to enjoy the type of investments that Indiana has seen in the past year.

Yoshiharu Hoshino, managing director of the Invest Saitama Office, attended the event to promote business between Indiana companies and the prefecture (akin to a state) of Saitama. Connecting Indiana to the home of Honda and Nissan Diesel Motors may have seemed inconceivable in the past, but such collaboration is increasingly a part of the future.

That message was delivered to the conference in a rare public speech by Fred Smith, chairman of FedEx, who stressed Indiana is well positioned to take advantage of access to world markets. FedEx...