Japan, U.S. to help empower women in Cambodia, Myanmar

The Japanese and U.S. governments are set to launch a joint project to help empower women in developing countries in Asia, including Cambodia and Myanmar, as well as Africa, officials of both governments said Saturday.

The two governments came up with the project as both Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Barack Obama have pledged to boost measures aimed at improving opportunities for women in society.

Working-level officials from Japan and the United States will thrash out details possibly later this month about the envisioned project including aid to female entrepreneurs, hoping to launch it later this year at the earliest, the officials said.

The two sides are considering expanding occupational training facilities for women, helping entrepreneurs, improving women’s access to medical services and enabling more girls to go to school, among other measures, they said. …

Abe pledged in his speech at the U.N. General Assembly in September an official development aid package worth more than $3 billion over three years to help empower women.

Obama’s administration focuses on areas along the Mekong River in the empowerment of women and has sounded out Tokyo about cooperation in Cambodia and Myanmar, the officials said. …

Global Post News Staff
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/140209/japan-us-help-empower-women-cambodia-myanmar