Above: the Shiodome City Centre in Tokyo, where Fujitsu is headquartered

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Japanese investors are showing “significant interest” in investing in Jamaica, according to Japanese Ambassador to Jamaica Hiroshi Yamaguchi.

“Probably for the first time in our nearly 50-year bilateral history, executives from big giants like Marubeni, Hitachi and Fujitsu, in addition to officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan received presentations from JAMPRO and toured prospective investment sites across Jamaica,” he said.

That visit took place in November.

Japanese companies already have large investments in Jamaica, including Marubeni, which has an 80 percent stake in the Jamaica Public Service Company.

UCC Ueshima Coffee Company is the largest marketer of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in Japan.

Indeed, Japan is the largest market for Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee in the world.

Investment from East Asia is nothing new to the region — the last few years have seen a wave of interest from the region, including China, Taiwan and, more recently, South Korea.