China still an attractive business prospect for Japan firms: Jetro

Tokyo

JAPANESE businessmen based in China continue to take a relatively optimistic view of the country's overall economic prospects despite the recent slowdown in the world's second-largest economy, according to the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro)

Their "on the ground" optimism contrasts with the prevailing view inside Japan where, according to Jetro's chairman and chief executive officer Hiroyuki Ishige, China has been given something of a "bad press" recently.

"Deep concerns about the uncertain economy of China have made Japanese companies conservative about investment in China," Jetro said in a statement issued at a briefing by Mr Ishige on Friday.

"However, staff members deployed to China and in charge of Chinese business (at Jetro's Tokyo) headquarters are optimistic about busi…