State officials spending $55,000 on Tokyo trip

The state of Colorado is spending about $55,000 to send five officials on an inaugural trip to Tokyo.

The officials include tourism director Al Smith, governor’s aide Jamie Van Leeuwen and Sandi Moilanen of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

According to the Denver Post, about $124,000 in taxpayer money is being spent to fly the contingent of state and local leaders from Denver to Japan on Monday in an inaugural Asian flight that officials have been pursuing since 1986.