Myanmar citizens in Japan protested the military coup in Tokyo on the 6th and protested demanding the release of national advisor Aung San Suu Kyi. Tokyo = AFP Yonhap News
The Sankei Shimbun reported on the 9th that the Japanese government is considering suspending or reducing economic aid to Myanmar, which has caused a military coup. Considering Myanmar’s longitude in China and its impact on Japanese companies, it has sought its own route, but it is interpreted as a measure to keep pace with the US, which suggests possible sanctions.
Japan wants to avoid sanctions such as suspension of support if possible. It is feared that the US and Europe may become closer to China if they take a tough response to the Myanmar military. Myanmar has the geopolitical importance of the’free and open India-Pacific’ led by the United States and Japan and China’s one-to-one route (land and sea Silk Road). However, being aware of this and being silent about the military coup, it is believed that it could be a subject of criticism in the international community.
Accordingly, the Japanese government is calling for the release of state adviser Aung San Suu Kyi and return to the civil administration by using connections with the Myanmar military. At the same time, it is a policy to determine whether or not to discontinue support while monitoring the local situation and trends in the international community such as the US. If the local situation does not improve, the US will not rule out the so-called’choice of agony’ as it is expected that pressure from the United States will increase in coordination with sanctions.
Japan did not agree with the imposition of sanctions by the United States and Europe from 1988 to 2011 against home pensions against the shame of the military government in Myanmar. Japan’s relationship with the Myanmar military was due to its wary of China.
The target of the suspension or reduction of support is expected to be a loan from the Japanese government and projects related to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). Japan is conducting preliminary investigations for the maintenance of ports, airports and urban railways in Myanmar as a loan project in Japanese yen, and is reviewing projects such as sanitation of water through free support and strengthening airport quarantine as a countermeasure for Corona 19.
Japan is recently providing economic support to Myanmar in the amount of 150 to 200 billion yen (about 1.6 trillion to 2.2 trillion won) annually. As of last year, loans of 170 billion yen (approximately 1.8 trillion won), free support 14 billion yen (approximately 149 billion won), and technical cooperation 6 billion yen (approximately 64 billion won) were provided. Excluding China, Japanese aid is quite large, so stopping it could put pressure on Myanmar. However, it can have a considerable impact on Japanese companies that have entered the region. Japanese companies entering Myanmar surged more than 8 times from 53 companies as of March 2012, just before the transfer of civil government, to 436 companies at the end of January.
At a joint meeting on the 5th, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Foreign Affairs Committee and others have laid out a resolution demanding the government to review the response, emphasizing “value diplomacy,” and halting economic support for Myanmar as an option.
Tokyo= Kim Hoe-kyung Correspondent [email protected]
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