ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 13, 1996 TAG: 9605130142
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: TOKYO
SOURCE: Associated Press
Gov. George Allen said Saturday that he consulted with his Democratic predecessor, Douglas Wilder, before leaving Virginia on his business trip to the Far East.
The Republican governor, who arrived in Tokyo on Saturday night, said he invited Wilder to lunch at the Executive Mansion and picked his brain for tips on doing gubernatorial business in Japan, Hong Kong and Korea.
``We discussed a lot of things, including his experiences and viewpoints from the times he visited Japan and especially Korea,'' Allen said. ``I showed him our itinerary and discussed some of the private meetings we'll be having with trade and investment prospects.''
It is Allen's third trade mission abroad and his first to East Asia, which then-Gov. Wilder visited in 1991 and 1993. Since taking office 21/2 years ago, Allen has visited Canada, Mexico, England, Sweden and Germany.
In all, he and a delegation of Virginia businessmen and Cabinet officials will spend most of this week in Tokyo, with a side trip to Osaka, and then fly to Hong Kong for three days. Most of the final leg of the trip will be spent in Seoul, South Korea.
Allen will be seeking more foreign investment in Virginia and promoting traditional Virginia state products, including an exotic one or two - like chicken feet, which are considered a delicacy in Hong Kong.
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