A delegation of Myanmar pro-democracy activists in Japan met with Japanese officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in Tokyo on Aug. 25 and submitted a formal seven-point petition addressed to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.
“During the meeting, we highlighted the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation on the ground, including ongoing regime attacks against civilians,” Myo Min Swe, a member of the Myanmar pro-democracy delegation in Japan, told DVB. He did not provide any names of Japanese officials who attended the meeting.
But he told DVB that the petition includes a call for the government in Tokyo to publicly clarify its position regarding Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa, who traveled to Naypyidaw and reportedly met with regime leader Min Aung Hlaing on Aug. 10.
Regime media reported that Sasakawa spoke to Min Aung Hlaing about Myanmar’s “peace process,” as well as rehabilitation efforts in Ayeyarwady Region, where recent flooding left thousands displaced and in urgent need of humanitarian assistance following a major breach in the Ngawun River embankment near Laymyethna Township on July 30.
“We submitted this appeal to encourage the Japanese government to take a more active leadership role in resolving the Myanmar crisis,” Myint Swe, who also attended the meeting with Japanese officials in Tokyo, told DVB.
The petition requests Tokyo to deliver humanitarian assistance “directly” to conflict-affected communities, by avoiding the regime in Naypyidaw.
Regime spokesperson Khaing Khaing Soe called on Japan to resume development assistance to Myanmar, much of which was suspended following the 2021 coup due to growing international outrage over human rights abuses, during a press conference in Naypyidaw on June 30.
This petition comes as Myanmar nationals in Japan held two protests in Tokyo outside the Myanmar embassy. On Aug. 8, they commemorated the 38th anniversary of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, and on June 19 they held a “Proof of Life” rally for jailed State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Myanmar nationals in Japan would also like Tokyo to provide more flexible residency protections for those living in the country, and call for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Myanmar jailed since the 2021 coup.
