According to the chairman of the Myanmar Garment Industry Entrepreneurs Association, affected by the world financial crisis, Myanmar’s garment exports are declining at an average monthly rate of 10-15%, but exports to Japan remain at normal levels. In particular, the increase in labor costs in China’s garment industry has caused problems for enterprises. Some merchants from various countries who originally imported garments from China have planned to switch to other countries. At this time, Japanese merchants entered Myanmar to look for sources of goods, which brought good news to Myanmar’s garment industry.
In 2007-2008, Myanmar’s garment exports earned approximately US$280 million, of which exports to Japan amounted to more than US$97 million, accounting for 35% of total garment exports. Myanmar is Japan’s 10th largest importer of garments. In 2008, Myanmar’s garment exports to Japan accounted for 0.4% of its total imports.
