For many Southeast Asian countries, Japanese developmental aid may be synonymous with building bridges, roads and public facilities. But besides its infrastructure-building capacity, Japan is also boosting one of the strategic tools of diplomacy at its disposal: human resource development.
Even as fellow East Asian powerhouse China seems to have increased its economic and political clout in Cambodia and other Southeast Asian nations in recent years, Japan's modest step to train local people is showing signs of larger, longer-term potential to deepen relations with Cambodia.
Cambodian diplomats say the Japanese government has "won" the hearts of the local people, thanks to years of involvement in the development and growth of Cambodia's economic, political and social sectors.