Japan's rush into Myanmar snags on land ownership issues

By Antoni Slodkowski

Business Jan. 27, 2013 - 05:59AM JST ( 7 )

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7 Comments

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JeffLeeJan. 27, 2013 - 07:46AM JST

The Japanese can appreciate this problem. Appropriation has always been weak and disorganized in their own country. That's why in Japan urban roads are so narrow, boulevards, proper sidewalks and parks rare, and land-rights fiascos like Narita airport.

Asians are often tied to their land through generations of family ownership.
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ZenpunJan. 27, 2013 - 08:35AM JST

Once Myanmar was a rice bowl of S E Asia. Destroying Thilawa fertile land for becoming industrial complex is short sighted. Back in 70s Singapore created Jurong town industrial area for pumping growth and jobs It becomes growth model for China too. Unlike Thilawa, that land was not farming ground which is feeding population. Industrial revolution will not last forever. According Singapore experience, they will lose competitiveness over time. They will lose the industry in the certain future.

When Thilawa is no longer manufacturing paradise, it can not be transformed back to fertile farm lands. That land has been raped by toxic, chemical and industrial waste. Farms can feed people for hundred years. Factories are not!
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kurisupisuJan. 27, 2013 - 01:09PM JST

“As a private Japanese company, we have nothing to do with it. It’s up to the government of Myanmar to clear the land,” said Takayoshi Nakao, who runs Marubeni Corp’s operations in Yangon.

What a farcical comment by Mr Nakao

Surely the man in not stupid nor so naive?

It has everything to do with private companies that pay big bribes to juntas that appropriate land to build industrial complexes on.

Japanese companies have a long history of turning a blind eye to black shenanigans in Burma! Nakamoto should delve into the history of his own bribe ridden conglomerate before passing ignorant remarks.
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hkitagawaJan. 27, 2013 - 01:55PM JST

By the way, there is much more open land in USA and in Japan too. If they create low tax zones for many of these areas and put people to work, the result should be the same like "Zona Franca of Manaus" in Brazil lol
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RedcliffJan. 27, 2013 - 02:31PM JST

@ Kurisupisu

I agree with you. I also like to add that the private corporation do have a responsibility to the private land owners around this development to ensure that the development do not contaminate their rice field.

Unfortunate for Win Aung if this is in the western nation and if Win Aung has tilt the land for more than 12 years even under the ownership of the Government it has the right under the Land Tiled Act to apply for Reverse Possession, this would reversed the land he sold back to his possession. Reason being he had look after that piece of land more than 12 years, that is if he had not leased it back from the Government when he first sold off his land and a yearly rental fee.
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realmindJan. 27, 2013 - 11:13PM JST

China bought 1000s of acres of land for another industrial complex. And they have bought mountains ( many 100000s of acres of land) which has rare earths and minerals. They bought it for almost free price from Junta govt.NO FARMER made any claim or complaint, why? if they speak they will be killed by Junta govt. Now when it comes to the Japanese companies the case became different. China is playing the game with farmers ( behind the farmers) to stop the Japanese entry in Myanmar. The industrial complex is a direct threat to China as many of the companies from China are planning to shift to Myanmar
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Alex RoncelliJan. 28, 2013 - 04:12AM JST

Countries needs to invest in efforts to control and reverse poor zoning laws. Opening new land should be last on anyone's priority list when there is already land available.