The Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo has issued a new directive requiring all Myanmar nationals in Japan whose passports have been expired for more than five years to return to Myanmar to complete the renewal process, raising acute fears among the diaspora of targeted arrests upon arrival.
Under the notice issued on Wednesday, the embassy stated it will no longer process long-expired passport renewals on-site in Tokyo. Instead, affected citizens will be issued temporary, single-use travel documents valid solely for a one-way return journey to Myanmar.
Shift in Passport Renewal Policy and Dissident Concerns
Prior to the announcement, Myanmar nationals living in Japan could renew long-expired passports directly through the embassy in Tokyo by paying a standard administrative penalty fine.
Human rights activists and diaspora leaders warn that the policy shift is specifically designed to identify and detain anti-junta dissidents who have boycotted military-controlled embassy services since the February 1, 2021 military coup.
“Those who have not renewed their passports for five years may have been boycotting the military-run embassy. Many feel it may be a trap to get those who opposed the military coup to return to face possible arrest by the regime authorities,” a Tokyo-based Myanmar activist told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
Escalating diaspora activism in Japan
The directive follows a series of high-profile political mobilizations by the Myanmar community in Japan, which has developed into one of the key regional centers for advocacy:
Key Anti-Junta Mobilizations in Tokyo
├── August 8, 2026: Mass protest outside the Tokyo Embassy marking the 38th '8888 Uprising' anniversary
├── June 19, 2026: Demonstration celebrating Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's birthday & "Proof of Life" campaign
└── December 2025: Kim Aris leads rally outside Tokyo Embassy demanding his mother's release
- 8888 Uprising Demonstrations: On August 8, activists organized a large protest outside the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo to mark the historic 1988 pro-democracy movement.
- Campaign for Aung San Suu Kyi: On June 19, diaspora members gathered in Tokyo to support the global “Proof of Life” campaign launched by Kim Aris, the son of jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Aris previously led a protest outside the Tokyo embassy in December 2025.
- Diplomatic Context: The move comes shortly after an August 3 meeting between the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw—a visit Aris described as giving him hope, despite civil society concerns regarding junta propaganda.
Rapid expansion of the Myanmar population in Japan
The new passport restrictions directly impact a rapidly growing foreign resident demographic in Japan.
According to 2025 statistics published by Japan’s Immigration Services Agency, the Myanmar diaspora has expanded to become the country’s eighth-largest foreign population, totaling 182,567 registered nationals—a year-on-year surge of more than 35.7 percent.
With tens of thousands of Myanmar students, technical interns, and asylum seekers residing in Japan under expired or expiring travel documents, legal advocates warn that forcing citizens back into regime-controlled parts of Myanmar exposes them to severe risks of arbitrary detention, interrogation, and military conscription.
