Until recently Myanmar – also known as Burma – was considered a pariah state, virtually inaccessible to the outside world, and ruled by a repressive military junta with an appalling human rights record. The U.S. and E.U. placed sanctions on the country during the 1980s, but since the establishment of a new nominally-civilian government in 2010, Myanmar has passed sweeping reforms in hopes of opening and developing the country.
The rest of the world has not hesitated to use this opening: foreign governments and multi-lateral institutions, are boosting their aid and development packages after decades of absence that left the country of 60 million people one of the poorest in Asia. Private firms, too, are vying for access to the “next economic frontier” and perhaps one of the last major untapped markets.
While the U.S., E.U., World Bank, and Asian Development Bank have each committed hundreds of millions in development aid, so far Japan has been one of the most eager donors.