The Japan Foundation, Japan’s cultural exchange institution, will open an office in Cambodia, according to Kao Kim Hourn, a minister attached to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
He said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered to set up the office during a private meeting with Mr. Hun Sen on the sidelines of the Mekong-Japan summit in Tokyo over the weekend.
“[Mr. Abe] asked for support and cooperation from Cambodia to create the Japan Foundation office,” Mr. Kim Hourn told reporters Monday at Phnom Penh International Airport upon the delegation’s return from the summit.
“Samdech [Mr. Hun Sen] welcomes and supports the creation of the Japan Foundation office in Phnom Penh. He hopes the Japan Foundation will encourage people-to-people exchange.”
The minister did not say when Japan hoped to have the office running or elaborate on what sort of projects it would promote.
At the summit, Mr. Abe unveiled plans to spend $6.1 billion on development assistance to the Mekong region—Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam—over the next three years.
Mr. Kim Hourn said the Japanese prime minister also promised to push for more business investment from Japan, and to continue helping Cambodia with electoral reforms.
