[Myanmar] Japanese Official Touts Burmese Market

The head of the Japan External Trade Organization has voiced expectations that the rise of a middle class in Burma will boost opportunities for Japanese businesses in the country, according to a report by The Japan Times. Hiroyuki Ishige, who recently hosted a tour of a new industrial estate in Rangoon for Japanese companies, said Burma is attractive as an investment destination because of its high literacy rate and cheap labor costs compared with neighboring countries. “I got the impression that many [Japanese] companies were seriously thinking about investing†in Burma, Ishige said.