Asia

Myanmar's Economic Woes May Help Japan Persuade Junta to End Crisis

Then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (right) shakes hands with Myanmar military chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing at Abe's office in Tokyo on Aug. 4, 2017. / Kyodo

5.9k

By Kyodo News 30 April 2021

Three months on from the Feb. 1 military coup in Myanmar, Japan’s diplomatic efforts to persuade the Southeast Asian country’s junta to reverse course have yet to bear fruit.

Myanmar security forces have killed some 750 peaceful protesters and other citizens, according to an activist monitoring group, a sign that Japan’s suspension of new aid projects, alongside sanctions by the US and other Western powers on senior generals and the companies they control, have not been effective in addressing the crisis.