TOKYO : Japan's miners see higher taxes in Chile potentially discouraging them from investing in new mines in the world's top copper producer but would not lead them to quit existing projects, the head of an industry body said on Monday.
"Higher tax won't lead to withdrawal from existing mines, but it may have an impact on new development projects," Akira Nozaki, the chairman of the Japan Mining Industry Association told Reuters in an interview. Still, Nozaki, who is also the president of Sumitomo Metal, said Japanese miners could make major new investments in copper projects, drawing on their experience from past projects.