AKP Phnom Penh, July 10, 2026 -- The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) had discussed with the Japan Development Institute (JDI) to formulate an international-standard Master Plan for the Cambodia-Japan Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

The discussion was made in a meeting held here on July 10 between H.E. Sun Chanthol, Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice Chairman of the CDC, and Dr. Shoichi Kobayashi, Founder and President of the JDI. 

In the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister extended warm welcome to the JDI delegation, and expressed his profound gratitude to JDI for its exceptional cooperation and valuable technical inputs provided in the past. 

He highlighted the historical background and strategic initiative behind the establishment of the "Cambodia-Japan Special Economic Zone (SEZ)," which reflects the long-term vision initiated by the Head of the Royal Government of Cambodia during a bilateral meeting with the former Prime Minister of Japan. 

“This project aims to enhance Cambodia's attractiveness in order to welcome and support the supply chains of Japanese investors and businesses in the Kingdom,” he said. 

H.E. Deputy Prime Minister and Dr. Shoichi Kobayashi engaged in an extensive and dynamic exchange of views on key strategic elements regarding methods to promote and capture the interest of Japanese investors, encouraging them to explore possibilities and look into investment opportunities in this high-potential SEZ project. 

Dr. Shoichi Kobayashi highly commended this initiative and reaffirmed JDI's readiness to leverage its global network of experts to support this project into tangible realisation. 

He shared several critical success factors and global experiences as strategic inputs for formulating a robust, international-standard Master Plan that is highly attractive, builds strong confidence, and precisely matches the practical requirements of Japanese investors when making strategic decisions to choose Cambodia as their regional investment destination.

Both sides demonstrated a shared commitment to further strengthen their collaboration, translating these strategic inputs into concrete actions aimed at cultivating a high-confidence business environment and unlocking new horizons for Japanese investors and enterprises. 

By Chea Vannak