Japan firm lands massive Sri Lanka airport contract

A Japanese firm was chosen by Colombo yesterday to build a new $570 million terminal for Sri Lanka's main airport, as Tokyo re-emerges as a key infrastructure backer amid a raft of Chinese projects. The cabinet announced the Taisei Corporation was picked to develop the Japanese-funded project, with the new terminal expected to double capacity at Bandaranaike International airport to around 20 million passengers a year. The decision follows the financing of Colombo's planned $1.5-billion light rail system last year by Japan's overseas development agency -- the biggest single foreign investment in the island nation.