Japan's second-largest bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, officially opened a represent-ative office in Phnom Penh on Friday.

The office would serve as an information centre for potential investors and hoped to attract more Japanese companies, Masato Miyachi, general manager of the bank’s Asia and China division, said.

“We will further development in Cambodia by offering effective information geared towards the needs of our Japanese customers,” Miyachi said.

National Bank of Cambodia deputy governor Neav Chanthana said the opening of the office demonstrated Japanese investors’ rising confidence in Cambodia’s banking sector.

The bank had a Phnom Penh branch until 1967, when internal strife led to its closure.

“Now we can resume our history by opening a new representative office here,” Miyachi said.