In Chapter 4 of Hillbilly Elegy, the Rust Belt memoir that launched his political career, Sen. J.D. Vance (R–Ohio) relates a story about the time that Kawasaki bought out Armco, the steel-making company that once employed Vance's "Papaw."
Kawasaki is, of course, based in Japan. At first, Papaw and the other residents of Middletown, Ohio—described by Vance as "a town full of World War II vets and their families—react to the news as if "General [Hideki] Tojo himself had decided to set up shop in southwest Ohio." Once the initial fervor dies down, however, Papaw and the rest of the Middletown community recognize that the foreign company's investment in their local community can be a good thing. "The Japanese are our friends now," Papaw tells Vance.
