Japan sees Thai pathway to Myanmar

After meeting with Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyaphirom yesterday, the vice chairman of the international committee of the Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren), Masayuki Matsushita, said Japanese businesspeople were poised to tighten cooperation with Thailand to expedite their investment in Myanmar.
With a border near the Dawei project, in which Thailand is closely involved, the Kingdom could serve as the best springboard for Japanese investment in Myanmar in the near future.
So far, investment plans are unclear because Myanmar needs to develop its infrastructure quickly. But the country is one of the most interesting destinations for Japanese investment in the future, Matsushita said.
Representatives of the federation were in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw this week to explore investment opportunities. The association comprises the largest traders in Japan.
He said Japanese enterprises foresaw plenty of opportunity to do business with Myanmar as well as stringent cooperation with Thailand to explore the neighbouring country.
While there are opportunities for every industry and for businesses of all sizes, the main interest now is in infrastructure development.
In addition, Matsushita said Japanese investors had seen that the Thai government had made a big effort to promote the industrial recovery after the heavy flooding last year. He pointed out that Japanese investors still had confidence to do businesses in the Kingdom.
Srirat Rastapana, director-general of the International Trade Promotion Department of the Commerce Ministry, said that because of the close relationship between Japan and Thailand, Japanese investors had recognised the Kingdom as a gateway to Myanmar and other Asean nations.
Thailand will cooperate closely with Japan to support trading and investment in Asean, she said.