Japanese delegation seeks business options

Hor Kimsay

SOME 140 Japanese investors arrived in Cambodia yesterday to meet with local government leaders and other stakeholders in an effort to boost eco nomic cop peration between the two countries. According to the Japanese Embassy in Cambodia, the delegation arri ved in the country yesterday afternoon, following a visit to Myanmar. The group will stay for two days to look at the business opportunities in

the Kingdom before heading back to Ja'Pan. "Th ey are the real inves to rs with effective investment," the embassy's spokesm an said. "They will meet Prime Minister Hu n Sen and m any other significant stake holders." The investors represent companies specialising in diverse areas of invest ment' including agriculture, m an ufac turing and the ind ustr ia l sec tor, according to th e emb assy. Tn B farewe ll meeting between ou t

going Japanese Ambassador Masa fumi Kuroki and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Wednesday, the Japa nese ambassador noted the increasing num be rs ofJapanese investors flock ing to the country. He noted that Cambodia appeals to investors because of its peace, politi cal stability, security and good rela tions with Japan. According to data from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia exported about $436.5 m illion wo rth of goods to Japan between 2010 and

2012 . These exports included garment and textile products as well as fishing products. Rankings by the Council for the Development of Cambodia show that Japan is the third-largest investor in the Kingdom, with South Korea com ing in first, followed by China. According to the figures , total Japa nese investmen t reached about $212.3 million last year, thanks largely to the $205 million Aeon Mall in Phnom Penh, which is currently under con structio n.