| Kato Katsunobu, Japanese Secretary of State. © AFP=News1 |
The Asahi Shimbun reported on the 25th that the Japanese government is planning to halt development aid to Myanmar.
The media reported that, citing a number of government sources, the Japanese government recognized the seizure of power by the Myanmar military as a coup and determined that economic support for the current Myanmar military regime was difficult, and that it would suspend new official development assistance (ODA) projects for the time being. .
However, the media added that the Japanese government will not order “sanctions” to stop ODA projects against Myanmar, but will persuade the Myanmar military to seek a democratic solution through dialogue.
In addition, Japan continues to provide humanitarian aid through international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
Japan is the largest support country in Myanmar, surpassing the United States and the United Kingdom, except for China, which does not specifically disclose the scale of support for Myanmar.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the ODA provided by Japan to Myanmar in 2019 amounted to 189.3 billion yen (about 2 trillion won), including a loan of 168.8 billion yen, a free cooperation fund of 13.8 billion yen, and a technology cooperation fund of 6.6 billion yen.
There are more than 430 Japanese companies operating in Myanmar, and the two countries have deep economic relations.
However, there are also concerns that if Myanmar is isolated internationally, it is likely to rely on China. For this reason, the Japanese government has been cautious in imposing independent sanctions even though the United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on Myanmar military personnel such as asset freezing.
The media quoted a government official and said that it was decided not to proceed with a new ODA project because if economic assistance was given to the Myanmar government controlled by the military, it would mean acknowledging the military regime.
At a press conference on the 3rd, Chief Minister Kato Katsunobu acknowledged the actions of the Myanmar military as a coup and said, “I will keep an eye on the trend and review future responses” for economic support.
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