Tsunami Jepun Membadai Pantai Malaysia?

Wartawan Business Times Adeline Paul Raj menulis berkenaan penyertaan dan pengambilalihan oleh firma-firma Jepun keatas aset perniagaan di Malaysia. Suatu berkembangan yang menarik untuk pengetahuan kita semua.

HAS anyone noticed how there seems to be a tsunami of Japanese investments into Malaysia of late?

This year, and particularly over the last month, our sushi-loving neighbours from the east have been forking out big sums to take over or participate in Malaysian assets.

Beverage firm Asahi Group Holdings Ltd, for example, made big news here two weeks ago when it inked a deal to take over CI Holdings Bhd's Permanis Sdn Bhd, a soft drinks company that is also the bottler for PepsiCo Inc in Malaysia, for a handsome RM820 million.

Not long after, and with less media fanfare, Proto Corp bought the Malaysian publisher of Motor Trader and Autocar Asean magazines for some RM109.7 million.

And earlier in April, in one of the largest merger and acquisition transactions done so far this year, Mitsui & Co Ltd took a 30 per cent stake in Khazanah Nasional Bhd's Integrated Healthcare Holdings Bhd, a Malaysian healthcare firm with a regional presence, for a whopping RM3.3 billion.

It was, in fact, the most sizeable investment ever by a Japanese firm in Southeast Asia's healthcare sector.

Then, there was Oji Paper Co Ltd's RM258 million takeover launch for packaging firm HPI Resources Bhd in June.

Let's not forget also, retail giant Uniclo opening its stores here last year to huge, enthusiastic crowds and two of Japan's top banks - Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group setting up commercial banks here this year.

It's quite clear that Japan's interest here extends into pretty much every sector.


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