Malaysia's Economic Stability Attracts Japanese Investments - Jactim

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's stable and impressive economic growth will continue to attract investments from Japanese companies, Japanese Chamber of Trade and Industry Malaysia (Jactim) President Toshihiko Todokoro said. Based on Jactim's latest survey, he said 36.7 per cent of Japanese companies based in Malaysia planned to increase their investments going forward, while 54 per cent decided to maintain the status quo. "Being one of the core countries in ASEAN, Malaysia will definitely be a key interest among Japanese investors," he said here Monday. He cited Malaysia's gross domestic product of over 4.0 per cent yearly as another reason for the Japanese companies' keenness to increase their investments. Todokoro was speaking to reporters after presenting a survey on the latest status of Japanese companies operating in Malaysia by Jactim and the Japan External Trade Organisation. The survey, conducted between Jan 21 and March 11 this year, shed light on current issues faced by the Japanese companies operating under the prevailing economic scenario. Todokoro said China's rising labour costs could make Japanese companies shift their investments to low-cost options in ASEAN countries. "Malaysia is the country with the highest chance of attracting foreign investments, especially from Japanese's high-end companies as some of them have already established their hubs here," he said. Jactim has 555 member companies. -- BERNAMA