日本加強對缅甸投資

Last month the NHK News on-line reported the following:

ミャンマーを訪れている麻生副総理兼財務大臣は、４日、現地で記者会見し、安倍政権としてもミャンマーの経済発展を後押ししていく一方で、外国企業が進出しやすくなるような制度の整備や民主化の進展を注視していく考えを示しました。

今月２日からミャンマーを訪れている麻生副総理兼財務大臣は、４日、最大の都市ヤンゴンの近郊で、日本企業も加わって工業団地の開発を進めているティラワ経済特区や港を視察しました。
今回の訪問で、麻生副総理はテイン・セイン大統領ら政府要人と会談を行い、５００億円規模の円借款を年度内に再開する方針を示すなど、安倍政権としてもミャンマーの経済発展を支援する姿勢を打ち出しました。
一連の日程を終え、麻生副総理はヤンゴンで記者会見し、「ミャンマーは人口が多い、賃金が安い、港が整備される、電力は安定しているとなれば、アジアの中では進出条件はいいほうだ」と述べました。
そのうえで、麻生副総理は「このあとの経済改革がきちんと進んでいくようにやってくれるということが、日本政府が一番関心を持っていかないといけないところだ」と述べ、支援の前提として外国企業が進出しやすくなるような制度の整備や民主化の進展を注視していく考えを示しました。

(試譯文)

Representing the Abe Administration, on the 4^th, Deputy Prime Minister Aso and also as the Finance Minister visited Myanmar and gave an interview on the spot; while backing up the economic development of Myanmar, he also showed the idea of watching closely at the progress in democratization and in the maintenance of a system where foreign companies could enter easily.

Deputy Prime Minister Aso who was also the Finance minister visited Myanmar staring from the 2nd of this month (January). On the 4th he inspected the harbor and the Tirawa special economic zone which was located in the suburbs of the greatest city Yangon and where Japanese companies had joined and developed this industrial complex further.

In this visit Deputy Prime Minister Aso conferred with government important people including President Thein Sein and showed the plan which would resume a loan with a scale of 50 billion yen before the end of the year. The Abe Administration had set forth a posture which supported the economic development of Myanmar.

After finishing a series of schedules, Deputy Prime Minister Aso gave an interview in Yangon. He said Myanmar was with a large population and with cheap wages, if the harbor was improved and the electric power was stable, it would become having a better condition to progress in Asia."

On top of this, Deputy Prime Minister Aso said that "from now on the economic reform would be followed properly, and that the Japanese government must be going to have serious concern". While showing the idea that, as a premise of support he would focus at the institutional maintenance in which foreign companies could enter easily and at the progress of democratization.

So, Japan is playing a more active role in helping Myanmar to reform. It seems that Indo-China has become a contesting ground for economic activities among leading Asian countries such as Japan, China and South Korea.